Volume 9 • 2022 • Issue 3

The Science of Saliva Dr. Walter Siqueira explores the biological complexity and scientific potential of saliva W hen Dr. Walter Siqueira was in dental school in Brazil, he practised restoration techniques and fabricating removables during clinic, but he also collected saliva and tested its pH levels. He was curious to see if there was a relationship between pH and the number of dental caries in a patient. “That’s where this all started,” he says. “But the science of saliva has advanced a great deal since then.” At one time, we thought saliva was just water mixed with calcium phosphate. “But in fact, it is very complex and dynamic,” he says. “It changes in response to changes in the mouth and body. It helps us digest and swallow our food, and at the same time it fights bacteria, cleans the mouth of debris, and repairs our enamel.” Saliva also changes with life stage; the saliva of infants is specially designed for breast milk, while aging affects both the salivary flow and composition, which can cause dry mouth and taste aberration. Saliva glands respond to our behaviours, and produce more saliva when we eat food. They also respond to a person’s thoughts; when one thinks about eating a slice of lemon meringue pie, often the salivary gland will start producing saliva. Dr. Siqueira leads the Salivary Proteomics Research Laboratory at the College of Dentistry at the University of Saskatchewan, where he and his research team study proteomics, diagnostics and therapeutics using saliva. He is considered an international authority in the field of salivary research and has published more 36 | 2022 | Issue 3