Increased vagal (parasympathetic) stimulation of gastric secretion has been postulated in patients with duodenal ulcer disease. Since salivary secretion is influenced by parasympathetic nerves, we reasoned that duodenal ulcer patients also might have increased salivary secretion. Furthermore, if salivary secretion in duodenal ulcer patients is under nearly maximal parasympathetic stimulation basally, salivary volume might not increase with additional parasympathetic activation induced by sham feeding. To test these hypotheses, we measured basal and sham-feeding-stimulated salivary flow in duodenal ulcer patients and healthy subjects. Contrary to our hypotheses, both basal salivary flow and the salivary response to sham feeding were almost identical in duodenal ulcer patients and healthy subjects. Also, urogastrone concentrations in saliva were approximately the same in duodenal ulcer patients and normal subjects.