The influence of handheld mobile phones on human parotid gland secretion

Background: Handheld mobile phones (MPHs) have become a 'cultural' accessory device, no less so than a wrist watch. Nevertheless, the use of MPHs has given rise to great concern because of possible adverse health effects from exposure to the radiofrequency radiation (RFR) emitted by the device. Previous studies suggested correlation between MPH and salivary gland tumors. Objective: To evaluate whether MPH induces physiologic changes in the adjacent parotid gland, located on the dominant side, in terms of secretion rates and protein levels in the secreted saliva. Materials and method: Stimulated parotid saliva was collected simultaneously from both glands in 50 healthy volunteers whose MPH use was on a dominant side of the head. Results: A significantly higher saliva secretion rate was noticed in the dominant MPH side compared with that in the non-dominant side. Lower total protein concentration was obtained in the dominant compared with the non-dominant MPH side among the right dominant MPH users. Conclusions: Parotid glands adjacent to handheld MPH in use respond by elevated salivary rates and decreased protein secretion reflecting the continuous insult to the glands. This phenomenon should be revealed to the worldwide population and further exploration by means of large-scale longitudinal studies is warranted.