Hi Don-Yes indeedy the main enzymes digest starches, but there are also
enzymes for digesting protein and fat in saliva. You also may not have
much starch on your disk either, or fat. The point I make is that a weak
enzymatic cleaner may not be effective on things found on a disk. The
average human, at least in the United States, needs something other than
saliva for cleaning their teeth. Colgate, Crest and Oral B did not invent
plaque and calculus; their products were a response to a need. I could
just as easily have included salt and bicarbonate of soda mixed half and
half. It is quite possible that someone will do research and find that
sterile saliva is the absolutely perfect record and painting cleaner. It
is also possible that there are products or formulations available already
that are as effective or more effective than saliva. More study needs to be
done, perhaps, although who would pay for it, I can't imagine. The major
point I want to make is that saliva is in effect a bio-hazard when placed
on a disk or a painting.
On Tue, Jun 24, 2014 at 5:28 AM, Don Cox <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> On 23/06/2014, Frank Strauss wrote:
>
> > Aren't you glad you have a dentist lurking on this list? I would like
> > to make two points concerning the use of saliva as a cleaning fluid.
> > 1. Saliva is principally water, but may contain several things that
> > are beneficial to the saliva producer, and is itself mechanically
> > beneficial. Contents may include enzymes, beneficial bacteria, sugars,
> > antibodies, to name a few. The concept that saliva is a good tooth
> > cleaner is not valid. Enzymatic action is dandy for breaking down
> > protein, but you may not have much protein either on your disk or on
> > your teeth.
>
> I thought the main digestive enzymes in saliva were amylases, for
> digesting starch (and other polysccharides ?) rather than proteins.
>
>
> > Saliva bathes mouth surfaces, causing the benefits one
> > might expect of bathing. If it was a good tooth cleaner, Colgate,
> > Crest and Oral B wouldn't be in business.
>
> The existence of a popular product doesn't mean it is necessary.
>
> > 2. This probably should be
> > point 1. Saliva is a bodily fluid. In case the record and art
> > conservators of the world aren't aware, bodily fluids are an issue
> > these days. There are things in the saliva of some folks that you
> > don't want on your record. Just one small example might be
> > tuberculosis bacilli, which can live a long time. Bottom line, saliva
> > is at best a contaminated fluid, and I would not be anxious to own a
> > record cleaned with it.
> >
>
> Regards
> --
> Don Cox
> [log in to unmask]
>
--
Frank B Strauss, DMD
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