What kinds of cells does human saliva contain?

Question

I have heard that our saliva contains cells. What cell types can be found in human saliva?

Answer 1

Comprising of 99.5 % water, saliva contains white blood cells, epithelial cells, and bacterial cells. In addition, there are several enzymes to aid the digestive process.

Answer 2

Our saliva is mainly compromised of water, as you might guess. It also contains trace amounts of mucus, WBCs, electrolytes and more importantly, enzymes. Our saliva's a key player in digestion. Such an enzyme involved in digestion is amylase, which breaks down starch, a complex carb, into sugars, a simple carb (via hydrolysis). Moreover, the saliva contains lingual lipase, which helps to break down medium and long chained triglycerides into free fatty acids, a medium of the fat digestion process. The digestion process is amazingly nearly immediately begun as food hits our mouthes! At least in the case of fats (lipids) and carbs (starches), since the saliva does not break down protein into amino acids at all.

Good question!