Salivary Function Testing

Salivary gland functioning can be evaluated by first stimulating salivary glands by having the patient eat a piece of lemon candy or chew a piece gum; the amount of saliva produced in response to the stimulus can be collected and measured after a given unit of time. This can enable the clinician to measure the amount of saliva produced per minute, and these tests can be performed pre-treatment and post-treatment to evaluate whether salivary functioning is impaired.