Dentistry: Buffer, pH, and Acid-Base Balance

Hydrogen Ion Concentration and Enzyme Function

• Hydrogen ion concentration has a widespread effect on the body's enzyme systems.
• The hydrogen ion is highly reactive and combines with bases or negatively charged ions at very low concentrations.
• Proteins contain many negatively charged and basic groups within their structure, and a change in pH will alter the degree of ionization of a protein, affecting its functioning.

Acid-Base Balance

• Blood is normally slightly basic, alkaline, with a pH range of 7.35 to 7.45.
• The body maintains the pH of blood close to 7.40 to function properly.
• Acidosis: the blood has too much acid (or too little base), resulting in a decrease in blood pH.
• Alkalosis: the blood has too much base (or too little acid), resulting in an increase in blood pH.

Factors Contributing to Blood pH Imbalance

• Two factors contribute to blood pH imbalance: intake, oxygen-carbon dioxide, and dietary habits; and production, elimination, and stress.

pH Levels and Health

• pH levels between 7.35 and 7.45 promote healthy cholesterol levels, healthy blood sugar balance, proper fat metabolism, normal energy balance, disease resistance, and the body's ability to flush toxins.
• Death occurs if blood pH is < 6.8 or > 7.8.

Solutions and Concentration

• A solution is a homogeneous mixture created by dissolving one or more solutes in a solvent.
• The chemical present in a smaller amount is the solute, which is soluble in the solvent (the chemical present in a larger amount).
• Water is a common solvent, forming aqueous solutions, and is one of the best solvents for dissolving ionic substances.

Buffer Solutions and Acid-Base Balance

• A buffer solution is a mixture of a weak acid and a salt of this acid or a weak base and a salt of this base.
• Buffer solutions resist changes in pH when a small amount of a strong acid or base is added.
• Buffer solutions are important in living things because they maintain the acid-base balance in the blood.

Buffer Solutions in the Body

• Protein buffers are the most abundant in the body, and they resist changes in acidity or alkalinity.
• Haemoglobin buffers the blood system using the proteins present, controlling the pH of the blood.
• The most important pH buffer system in the blood involves carbonic acid and bicarbonate ions.

pH Buffer System and Health

• The blood's acid-base balance is controlled by the body because even minor deviations from the normal range can severely affect the brain, arteries, the heart, muscles, and many organs.
• Deviations from the normal pH range can contribute to serious disease, such as cancer.