Salivary constituents and acidogenic microbial counts in coronary artery bypass graft patients from baseline to three-years after operation

Data on saliva in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery patients are sparse. Understanding salivary parameters, however, may aid clinical decision making. We hypothesized that cardiac surgery might affect patients’ salivary flow rates and buffering, salivary proteins, and microbial counts. A 3-year, open follow-up study was conducted examining salivary flow, its chemical composition, and acidogenic microbial counts in 89 CABG surgery patients. The changes in salivary flow and proteins between baseline and 3-year post-CABG surgery were assessed using paired t-test and, with respect to the median of number of drugs used daily, by use of a nonparametric rank sum test. The results showed no long-term change in salivary flow rates and buffering capacity. With the exception of salivary urea, IgA and IgM concentration, and lysozyme output, the differences in salivary proteins between baseline and 3-year post-CABG were not statistically significant. No difference was observed in saliva values between patients taking drugs below or above the median number of drugs. Acidogenic microbial counts remained the same throughout the study. In conclusion, the salivary flow rates and constituents did not practically change in patients who underwent CABG surgery during the 3-year follow-up.