The effect of mobile phone waves on salivary secretion in dental students of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences

Background: Excessive use of mobile phones is addictive and causes many complications. The severity of these complications depends on the duration of the call and the frequency of using mobile phones. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of mobile phone waves on salivary secretion. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 120 dental students in Rafsanjan, Iran, in 2015. Using the call history of the mobile phones, the number and duration of each person's daily calls were obtained. The spitting method was used to collect unstimulated saliva, and stimulated saliva was collected with the help of natural chewing gums without sugar and additive flavors. After sampling, the falcon tubes containing saliva were centrifuged at 2500 rpm for 10 minutes. Then the saliva volume was read from the tube and recorded. Independent two-sample t test, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression model were used for data analysis. Results: Students who talked for more than 40 minutes or 20-40 minutes a day on their mobile phones had a mean unstimulated salivary secretion of 0.885 and 0.331 ml/min, respectively and mean stimulated salivary secretion of 0.702 and 0.708 ml/min, respectively more than students who talked less than 20 minutes a day on their cell phones (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that increased duration of cell phone calls was associated with increasing the amount of stimulated and unstimulated salivary secretion, which could decrease the risk of developing oral infections and tooth decay.