What is saliva?

What Does saliva Mean

Saliva , a word with an etymological root in the Latin word salīva , is the liquid that is produced in the mouth and that softens the food to enable it to be swallowed. This colorless fluid that has a certain viscosity is generated by the salivary glands .

Estimates indicate that these glands produce and deposit in the oral cavity about one and a half liters of saliva per day . As a person ages, their saliva production begins to decline. The production of saliva, on the other hand, is linked to the circadian rhythm : the production, in this way, decreases at night.
With a pH between 6.5 and 7 , saliva is largely made up of water . It also has components such as phosphate , bicarbonate , calcium , lysozyme , mucus and various immunoglobulins and enzymes , among others. All these substances allow it to fulfill a wide range of functions.

We already said that saliva is necessary to soften food and contribute to the formation of the food bolus . This organic liquid also helps us to feel the flavors.
The lubrication of the mouth, necessary to facilitate speech and the first stage of digestion , is another of the functions of saliva, and the like healing and protection of the oral cavity and conserving the neutral pH .
It is also interesting to discover a series of curiosities that not everyone knows about saliva, such as these:

-It is essential and necessary to be able to detect the taste of the food that we put into our mouth.

-Mouthwashes that have a high percentage of alcohol can cause the amount of saliva produced to change.

-A healthy adult person can secrete between 1 and 1.5 liters of saliva on a daily basis.

-Men are considered to secrete more saliva than women.

-It is a false myth that babies secrete more saliva when their teeth are about to come out.
In addition to all the above, it is important to know that the diseases that are transmitted through saliva are diverse and varied. Among them are the following:

-Infectious mononucleosis, which is better known by the name of the kissing disease. It appears, above all, in adolescents and young people, is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus and its symptoms are a sore throat or fever, among others. In several weeks it usually heals completely thanks to a consistent treatment, especially at rest and with adequate hydration.

-Herpes, caused by different viruses that can be oral or genitalia. It has no cure and manifests itself through itching and a burning sensation. With different medications recommended by the doctor they can be corrected.

Hepatitis B, the flu, a cold or meningitis are other pathologies that it is considered that can also be transmitted and spread through saliva, kisses.
When a person produces excess saliva, he suffers from hypersalivation ; In contrast, if you generate little saliva, you experience hyposialia . Dry mouth, on the other hand, is known as xerostomia .

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