Being the first organ which is passed by foods, Mouth needs strong protection to attack foreign substances and contaminants such as virus, bacteria and fungi. Despite being able to distinguish appetizing food apart from its opposite, human's mouth is not sensitive enough in determining the existence of pathogen and other disease agents inside the foods being eaten. Fortunately, human mouth has saliva-producing gland which can protect the mouth from them.

Saliva has the ability to attack various bacteria and virus because it consists of certain proteins. One of these proteins is lysozyme that can destroy cell wall of bacteria. It also has other functions such as lubricating mouth cavity and counterweighing bacteria and virus growth in mouth due to its structure. Therefore, the digestion process in mouth would be very disturbed if saliva was not exist.  

Degradation of Chemical Structure of Saliva

In the past, before the invention of tooth paste, human oral health was preserved more than humans nowadays. The reason of this phenomenon is the alteration of types and structure of meals being eaten. Heavily modified meals can denature the structures of proteins in saliva. Saliva production process is affected by mechanical digestion that is stimulated by structures of foods, which, on the other hand, get smoother along the time, causing the reduction of mechanical process involved in digestion wich leads to the reduction of saliva production

Another important factor in setting today's human apart from the past is the usage of tooth paste and mouthwash. Chemical compounds which compose toothpaste and mouthwash traits have the ability to alter chemical structures of saliva. Besides, toothpaste contains detergent that can increase the pH of the mouth, causing it to be more basic than it is supposed to. "Only in some cases we can use mouthwash and not for too long, otherwise teeth color change and gum irritation might occur." said dr. Medi.

Destroyed saliva can lead to uncontrollable growth of bacteria, plaque formation on teeth, tooth and mouth diseases such as thrush, gingivitis (gum inflammation), and bad odor. To solve those problems, dr. Medi suggested consuming colostrums, which is the first liquid (milk) produced by mammalian that has just given birth. Colostrum contains immunoglobulin (antibody) that can help human immune system. "The main factor affecting mouth and tooth health is not the constituents of the related organ structures, but lifestyle of human itself," end dr. Medi.

Ditranslasi oleh: Natasha Agustin Ikhsan (IJA 2015)

Diedit oleh: Agastya Bagaskara (IJA 2015)