A Comparison of Whole Mouth Resting and Stimulated Salivary Measurement Procedures

Methods for collection and stimulation of whole mouth saliva were compared. Resting salivary flow values were roughly equivalent for draining, spitting, suction, and swab collection techniques, but the swab technique was less reliable. Gustatory and masticatory stimuli induced significantly higher salivary flow compared to resting levels, but the between- and within-subject variances were also higher. Stimulation produced a fairly constant addition of saliva whether individual resting flow levels were low or high.