A technical note on the Kamranmeter; a manually operated device for measuring salivary spinnbarkeit

Clin Oral Investig. 2024 Nov 22;28(12):651. doi: 10.1007/s00784-024-06047-w.

Abstract

Objective: The objective was to develop a manually operatable, non-electric device to measure salivary spinnbarkeit for research, clinical and educational purposes.

Materials and methods: A newly developed device, named the Kamranmeter, was built and evaluated in a pilot study, comparing the spinnbarkeit of unstimulated and chew-stimulated saliva samples from healthy volunteers. The Neva Meter, which operates on electrical resistance, was used as a reference standard.

Results: The study found no statistically significant differences between the two devices when measuring the spinnbarkeit of both unstimulated and stimulated saliva samples from healthy volunteers.

Conclusions: We developed a hand-operated device to analyse salivary spinnbarkeit. The Kamranmeter performs comparably to the Neva Meter in measuring spinnbarkeit in saliva obtained from healthy volunteers.

Clinical relevance: The Kamranmeter has potential applications in diagnostic tests involving saliva, such as assessing spinnbarkeit to evaluate conditions like caries and dry mouth. Moreover, it holds promise for broader medical uses, including fertility assessments, where spinnbarkeit is a key indicator of cervical mucus quality. Its ease of handling is expected to make it well-suited for research, clinical, and educational applications.

Keywords: Rheology; Saliva; Spinnbarkeit.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Equipment Design
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Pilot Projects
  • Saliva* / chemistry