The Associations between Biochemical and Microbiological Variables and Taste Differ in Whole Saliva and in the Film Lining the Tongue

Table 4

Correlations between taste sensitivity scores and biological variables in saliva and in tongue film. The Spearman correlations coefficients are coded as follows: -- for -0.5< r < -0.3 (moderate negative correlation); - for -0.3< r < -0.1 (weak negative correlation); 0 for -0.1<r<0.1; + for 0.1< r<0.3 (weak positive correlation); ++ for 0.3< r < 0.5 (moderate positive correlation). A star indicates a significant correlation (p<0.05).

Salivary variables	Sweet	Salty	Sour	Bitter	Umami	Film variables	Sweet	Salty	Sour	Bitter	Umami
pH	0	+	-	+	0	pH	0	0	0	0	0
flow	-	--	--	0	--	weight	-	0	-	0	--
lactate	++	+	+	+	+	lactate	-	-	0	-	0
acetate	+	++	+	+	0	acetate	-	0	0	-	0
propionate	+	++	+	+	+	propionate	-	0	-	0	0
butyrate	++	++	+	+	0	butyrate	0	0	0	0	-
glucose	0	0	0	0	0	glucose	-	-	-	--	-
fructose	0	++	+	0	+	fructose	-	-	-	--	--
sucrose	-	-	-	0	-	sucrose	++	0	+	+	+
lactose	0	0	0	0	0	lactose	+	0	+	-	+
total bacterial count	0	+	0	0	0	total bacterial count	-	+	-	0	0
Actinobacteria	--	--	-	-	--	Actinobacteria	0	0	-	+	-
Bacteroidetes	0	+	-	0	-	Bacteroidetes	+	+	0	++	0
Firmicutes	--	-	-	-	0	Firmicutes	0	0	0	-	-
Proteobacteria	0	-	0	0	+	Proteobacteria	0	-	0	0	+
Fusobacteria	0	-	0	0	0	Fusobacteria	0	-	-	0	0