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Interarch comparison of intraoral pH and temperature: a pilot study
Jung Eun Choi, Karl M Lyons, Mitten CB McLean and Neil J Waddell
PURPOSE OF STUDY: The severity of tooth wear is known to have an association with intraoral pH and temperature depending on the site.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the intraoral pH and temperature between the maxillary and mandibular arch.
METHODS: Fourteen participants (mean age = 25.8 years) wore a custom-made intraoral appliance tted with a pH probe and thermocouple for 24 h while carrying out normal activities including sleep. All participants wore a maxillary appliance; four participants repeated the process and wore the mandibular appliance. Measurements were taken from the palatal aspect of the upper central incisors and lingual aspect of the lower canines. Both qualitative and quantitative statistical analyses were conducted. RESULTS: The mean intraoral pH from the maxilla was 7.32 (0.52) and 7.07 (0.26) for the mandible. During daytime, there was no statistical signicance difference between the two arches (P = 0.12). During sleep, there was a signicant difference (Po0.001)
between the mean pH of the maxilla, 7.0 (0.46), and mandible, 6.46 (0.31). The uctuation patterns of pH and temperature from both arches were similar, but the maxilla showed more variations. The mean temperature from the mandible was slightly higher(36.18 C (0.96)) than the maxilla, 33.12 C (5.51) during daytime; however, there was no statistically signicance difference in temperature between the arches during daytime (awake) or sleep (P = 0.27).
CONCLUSION: The results showed that there is signicant difference in mean intraoral pH between the maxilla and the mandible
during sleep, but not during the day and this difference may be associated variations in tooth wear between the arches.
BDJOpen (2016) 2, 16008; doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/bdjopen.2016.8
Web End =10.1038/bdjopen.2016.8 ; published online 25 November 2016
INTRODUCTIONDental erosion is a chemical tooth wear caused by a decrease in intraoral (salivary) pH. It is a signicant issue in dentistry since it affects 482% of the adult population.1,2 Tooth erosion is a multifactorial condition and has a complex aetiology in which the acids involved in the chemical dissolution may be of intrinsic and extrinsic origins.3 Previous studies have revealed that externally consumed acids from low pH beverages, such as fruit-based...