Quality Improvement of Saliva by Chewing Tapioca Pearls in Bubble Tea Drinks

Sixty saliva samples were collected from 15 subjects. The inclusion criterion was 18-25 years of age. The exclusion criteria were receiving medication, using dentures, a history of dry mouth, smoking and systemic disease. In the first week of the experiment, subjects drank bubble tea as the intervention group. In the second week, the same subjects drank tea without pearls as the control group. Each subject drank the bubble tea for 5 minutes per day over 3 days. Saliva samples were collected on the first day before bubble tea consumption (pretest) and on the third day after tea consumption (posttest). Saliva collection was performed in the morning (09:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.) for 1 minute. Salivary CRP levels were measured using an ELISA kit, and Ca levels were determined using a test kit.