Health Alternations in salivary glucose during ramadan fasting

During the holly month of Ramadan, Muslims fast every day from dawn to sunset. Although the effect of Ramadan fasting on general health has been widely studied, the impact of fasting on oral health and possible changes in salivary biochemicals, such as glucose, has not re-ceived much attentiom. The aim of our study was to evaluate the influence of fasting on the level of glucose in the saliva of healthy indi-viduals. Salivary glucose was measured using an enzymatic method based on oxidation of glucose by glucoseoxidase followed by deter-mination of resulting H2O2 in the presence of peroxidase. A reduction in mean concentration of glucose was observed in the saliva of all fasting subjects as compared to the control group. It was concluded that reduction in salivary glucose is mostly due to reduced food intake and may be beneficial to dental health