Abstract
The production of saliva in conscious humans is under the control of the higher centers of the brain which is upregulated by an autonomic reflex in response to taste, chewing, and smell. The higher centers of the brain maintain the resting rate of salivary secretion which in the healthiest subjects is sufficient to maintain oral health and perform the functions of the mouth such as speaking, swallowing, and preventing the overgrowth of microbial colonies on oral tissues. When asleep, the same higher centers reduce their neural output leading to very low salivary flow, which prevents choking or aspiration of saliva into the lungs leading to pneumonia. An understanding of this complex control of salivary secretion is particularly important for the regeneration of the salivary glands and their functions. Stem cell treatments to replace the salivary tissue are an impressive first step, but the new tissue needs to be under neural control. Inappropriate salivary secretion can be just as much a problem as insufficient salivary flow as demonstrated by drooling in stroke patients and patients on certain antipsychotic medications, who "drown" in their own saliva at night.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Salivary Gland Development and Regeneration |
| Subtitle of host publication | Advances in Research and Clinical Approaches to Functional Restoration |
| Publisher | Springer International Publishing Switzerland |
| Pages | 207-215 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9783319435138 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9783319435114 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 20 Feb 2017 |