Jaquelyn Galvan¹ and Carolina Andrade²*

¹Department of Chemistry, Lone Star College, Honors College, United States
²Department of Chemistry, Lone Star College, United States

*Corresponding Author: Carolina Andrade, Department of Chemistry, Lone Star College, United States.

Received: October 06, 2025; Published: October 21, 2025

Abstract

This research examines the buffering capacity of saliva by determining the time it takes for the pH of saliva to neutralize after consuming acidic, basic, and neutral drinks. When salivary pH is above 5.5 (critical pH), saliva becomes supersaturated with respect to the tooth’s enamel, making a basic oral cavity which results in the remineralization of the tooth’s enamel. Conversely, when the pH is below the critical pH, saliva becomes unsaturated with respect to the tooth’s enamel, making an acidic oral cavity which can lead to the demineralization of the tooth’s enamel over time and increases the risk of cavities and tooth erosion. This experiment measured the pH of a sample of saliva every 10 minutes for 90 minutes after drinking unsweetened almond milk (basic liquid), purified drinking water (neutral liquid), and low-sugar orange juice (acidic liquid) to determine the time it takes for salivary pH to return to its baseline. The research concluded that purified drinking water returned to the baseline salivary pH the fastest (40 minutes), Orange juice took the longest time to return to the baseline salivary pH (90 minutes), and almond milk took between 50-60 minutes to return to salivary pH. It was also concluded that, when compared to earlier studies, low-sugar drinks do not lower salivary pH as drastically as drinks that are not. The results of this experiment indicate the importance of maintaining a healthy diet that supports tooth enamel (such as drinking basic liquids) and minimizes the risk for tooth decay by prolonged exposure to acidic drinks (e.g. orange juice). Future research should examine populations in regions where diets are typically richer in acidic foods and beverages, which could contribute to a lower baseline salivary pH.

Keywords: Salivary Buffering Capacity; Salivary PH; Tooth Demineralization; Tooth Remineralization; Dental Erosion; Oral Health; Enamel Health

References

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Citation

Citation: Jaquelyn Galvan and Carolina Andrade. “Salivary pH Recovery: Analyzing the Buffering Capacity of Saliva After Consuming Basic, Neutral, and Acidic Drinks".Acta Scientific Dental Sciences 9.11 (2025): 26-32.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Jaquelyn Galvan and Carolina Andrade. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.