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The use of lithium as a marker for the retention of liquids in the oral cavity after rinsing

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Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to validate the use of lithium as a marker to indicate the retention of simple liquids in the oral cavity and use this to determine how much liquid is retained in the oral cavity following 30 s of rinsing.

Materials and methods

This is a validation study in which saliva was spiked with known concentrations of lithium. Twenty healthy participants then rinsed their mouths with either water or a 1 % w/v carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) solution for 30 s before expectorating into a collection cup. Total volume and concentration of lithium in the expectorant were then measured, and the percentage of liquid retained was calculated.

Results

The mean amount of liquid retained was 10.4 ± 4.7 % following rinsing with water and 15.3 ± 4.1 % following rinsing with 1 % w/v CMC solution. This difference was significant (p < 0.01).

Conclusions

Lithium was useful as a marker for the retention of liquids in the oral cavity, and a value for the amount of water and 1 % w/v CMC solution remaining in the oral cavity following a 30-s rinse was established.

Clinical relevance

The present study quantifies the retention of simple fluids in the oral cavity, validating a technique that may be applied to more complex fluids such as mouth rinses. Further, the application of this method to specific population groups such as those with severe xerostomia may assist in developing effective saliva substitutes.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Trevor Rollinson and the team at Southern Community Laboratories for their analysis of samples, Don Schwass for his assistance with the HAP discs and the University of Otago National School of Pharmacy for a PhD scholarship for Sara Hanning.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. New Zealand’s National School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand

    Sara M. Hanning & Natalie J. Medlicott

  2. Sir John Walsh Research Institute, University of Otago, PO Box 647, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand

    Jules A. Kieser

  3. Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand

    Martin M. Ferguson

  4. Department of Chemistry, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand

    Malcolm Reid

Authors
  1. Sara M. Hanning
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  2. Jules A. Kieser
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  3. Martin M. Ferguson
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  4. Malcolm Reid
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  5. Natalie J. Medlicott
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sara M. Hanning.

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Hanning, S.M., Kieser, J.A., Ferguson, M.M. et al. The use of lithium as a marker for the retention of liquids in the oral cavity after rinsing. Clin Oral Invest 18, 1533–1537 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-013-1141-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-013-1141-x

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