![Sample our Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing & Allied Health journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5944/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Medicine-Dentistry-Nursing-Allied-Health.jpg"})
Abstract
In 15 patients, of whom 10 had a duodenal ulcer, aspirations were made of the gastric contents for one hour before and one hour after they had been chewing gum for 30 minutes. The volume and acidity was measured in each 15-min sample and the acid output was calculated. Differences between the secretion in the 3 periods were tested for significance with the Wilcoxon rank sum test for paired differences. During the chewing period the volume of gastric contents increased from 23 to 39 ml/15 min, p < 0.01, the acidity decreased from 29 to 25 meq/l, p < 0.05, and the acid output increased insignificantly (from 0.75 to 1.23 meq/15 min). The bicarbonate concentration of the saliva during chewing was on average 9 meq/l. The salivary flow during chewing was calculated to 13 ml/15 min. When the neutralization of gastric acid with salivary bicarbonate was taken into account, a significant increase in acid secretion was found during chewing. This stimulation continued during the one-hour period after chewing, causing a secretion rate of 29 ml/15 min, with an acidity of 42 meq/l and an acid output of 1.32 meq/15 min. It is concluded that although chewing gum causes a stimulation of the gastric acid secretion, this increase is so small that it does not justify an advice against the use of chewing gum in patients with duodenal ulcer or x-ray negative dyspepsia.