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Acta veterinaria Scandinavica2020; 62(1); 21; doi: 10.1186/s13028-020-00518-2

Equine saliva components during mastication, and in vivo pH changes in the oral biofilm of sound and carious tooth surfaces after sucrose exposure.

Abstract: The role of saliva composition and dietary sugar in development of infundibular caries in equine cheek teeth is not fully understood. This study analysed electrolyte and urea concentrations in saliva in relation to different forage and measured pH changes after sucrose application in vivo in sound and carious cheek teeth. Results: Forage type had no effect on the equine saliva electrolyte concentrations, which varied considerably both intra- and inter-individually. Chewing resulted in increased values for all electrolytes except bicarbonate. Compared with stimulated human saliva, horse saliva after mastication, contained higher amounts of potassium, calcium and bicarbonate, and less phosphate. The in vivo pH measurements showed a lower resting pH and a more pronounced pH drop after sucrose application in carious teeth compared to sound teeth. Conclusions: No large differences were found between the composition of equine saliva and human saliva. A more pronounced acidogenicity was found for the carious than sound teeth. Thus, the caries process in equine cheek teeth seems to follow the same pattern as in human teeth, caused by acid production by oral microorganisms after sugar consumption.
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Publication Date: 2020-05-23 PubMed ID: 32446309PubMed Central: PMC7245034DOI: 10.1186/s13028-020-00518-2Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This study looked into how the components of horse saliva and dietary sugar affect the development of dental caries in horses’ teeth. It was found that the composition of horse saliva isn’t notably different from human saliva and a greater acidity was observed in the decayed teeth compared to the healthy ones, suggesting that oral diseases in horses’ teeth follow a similar pattern to those in human teeth.

Research Objectives and Methods

  • The research endeavored to enhance the understanding of how horse saliva and dietary sugar contribute to the onset of dental caries in horse cheek teeth.
  • Electrolyte and urea concentrations in horse saliva were analyzed in relation to different feed.
  • pH changes in both healthy and decayed teeth were tracked after exposure to sucrose.

Research Findings

  • It was found that the type of forage consumed did not have any influence on the concentrations of electrolytes in horse saliva. However, these concentrations exhibited significant variations at both intra-individual and inter-individual levels.
  • Mastication resulted in elevated concentrations of all electrolytes, excluding bicarbonate.
  • When compared to human saliva produced during stimulation, the saliva of horses after mastication displayed higher concentrations of potassium, calcium and bicarbonate and lower phosphate content.
  • pH measurements taken inside the mouth revealed a lower resting pH in decayed teeth compared to healthy teeth, as well as a larger drop in pH following exposure to sucrose.

Conclusions

  • The study identified no major disparity in the composition of horse and human saliva.
  • A more pronounced acidity was found in the decayed teeth in comparison with healthy ones.
  • The caries process in horse cheek teeth appears to follow the same trajectory as in human teeth, characterized by acid production by oral microorganisms upon sugar ingestion.

Cite This Article

APA
Lundström T, Lingström P, Wattle O, Carlén A, Birkhed D. (2020). Equine saliva components during mastication, and in vivo pH changes in the oral biofilm of sound and carious tooth surfaces after sucrose exposure. Acta Vet Scand, 62(1), 21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13028-020-00518-2

Publication

Acta veterinaria Scandinavica
ISSN: 1751-0147
NlmUniqueID: 0370400
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 62
Issue: 1
Pages: 21
PII: 21

Researcher Affiliations

Lundström, Torbjörn
  • Animal Dental Clinic, Västra Husby, 60596, Söderköping, Sweden. torbjorn@djurtandvardskliniken.se.
Lingström, Peter
  • Department of Cariology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Box 450, 405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Wattle, Ove
  • Division of Diagnostics and Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden.
Carlén, Anette
  • Department of Oral Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Odontology, Sahlgrenska Academy Sweden University of Gothenburg, Box 450, 405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Birkhed, Dowen
  • Fersens väg 14B, 211 42, Malmö, Sweden.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Biofilms / drug effects
  • Dental Caries / microbiology
  • Horses / physiology
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Mastication / physiology
  • Microbiota / drug effects
  • Saliva / chemistry
  • Sucrose / pharmacology
  • Tooth / microbiology

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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This article includes 20 references
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Citations

This article has been cited 4 times.
  1. Adepu S, Lord M, Hugoh Z, Nyström S, Mattsson-Hulten L, Abrahamsson-Aurell K, Lützelschwab C, Skiöldebrand E. Salivary biglycan-neo-epitope-BGN(262): A novel surrogate biomarker for equine osteoarthritic sub-chondral bone sclerosis and to monitor the effect of short-term training and surface arena. Osteoarthr Cartil Open 2023 Jun;5(2):100354.
    doi: 10.1016/j.ocarto.2023.100354pubmed: 36968250google scholar: lookup
  2. Townsend KS, Johnson PJ, LaCarrubba AM, Martin LM, Ericsson AC. Exodontia associated bacteremia in horses characterized by next generation sequencing. Sci Rep 2021 Mar 18;11(1):6314.
    doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-85484-zpubmed: 33737590google scholar: lookup
  3. Di Salvo A, Bazzano M, Rocca GD, Galarini R, Marchegiani A, Paoletti F, Giusepponi D, Mantovani M, Laus F. Pharmacokinetics of a single oral administration of two cannabidiol formulations in fed and fasted horses. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1515833.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1515833pubmed: 40046423google scholar: lookup
  4. Muñoz-Prieto A, Llamas-Amor E, Contreras-Aguilar MD, Ayala I, Martín Cuervo M, Cerón JJ, Hansen S. Automated Spectrophotometric Assays for the Measurement of Ammonia and Bicarbonate in Saliva of Horses: Analytical Validation and Changes in Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS). Metabolites 2024 Feb 28;14(3).
    doi: 10.3390/metabo14030147pubmed: 38535307google scholar: lookup
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