Saliva is useful for health
Saliva is commonly known as spitting. This nickname usually brings out feelings of disgust. It is considered a source of spread of various and dangerous diseases. Some proverbs are famous. But one bright side of Saliva, which has many benefits, is not usually mentioned. Saliva is such a gift of nature that the more a person is thankful for it.
Production of saliva This salivary month of the mouth is secreted by salivary glands that are located in front of the ear (Parotid), under the jaw (Submaxillary) and a gland under the tongue (Sublingual) (can be seen in the figure). A healthy person produces about one to one and a half liters of saliva per day. The secretion of saliva depends on nerve impulses and there are special centers in the brain to control it (i.e. the amount of saliva to be secreted). There are salivary nuclei.
The amount of saliva to be secreted depends on the taste or touch of the food on the tongue and accordingly the salivary control centers in the brain are stimulated and command the salivary glands to secrete saliva. For example, the taste or touch of sour things increases the secretion of saliva, while rough things often do not increase the production.
Components of saliva
Most of the saliva (99 percent) consists of water and one percent contains other components, but these components are very important. Saliva usually contains two main proteins.
1) Ptyalin: This is a protein that contains the enzyme (alphamyelin) that digests starch (a carbohydrate found mostly in grains).
2) Mucin: It is a protein that produces mucus in saliva.
Benefits of salivation
Apart from eating and drinking, the secretion of saliva continues at a rate of half to one milliliter per minute. In the mouth, pathogens (such as tooth decay), numerous germs and other organisms are always present. If they get a chance, they start destroying all the organs of the mouth, including the teeth, at a high speed. But saliva protects these destructive germs in different ways. The place doesn't give a chance to stay and attack and they get carried away with it.
It also carries away the fibers hanging in the mouth with it. Because of this, the food required for the growth of these germs, i.e. bacteria, is not available. Secondly, saliva also contains ingredients that destroy bacteria. (Bacteria eat the food stuck in the teeth, especially starch and sugar, and produce caries in the teeth). One of these ingredients is thiocyanate ion and other protein-digesting enzymes are found.
Apart from this, the third important thing is that saliva also contains antibodies that destroy harmful bacteria that enter the mouth. Also those bacteria that are responsible for causing tooth decay. Therefore, if there is not enough saliva in the mouth, swelling occurs on the walls of the mouth cavity. Blisters) and get infected in them. Likewise, the chances of tooth decay also increase.