Taste perception in relation to Dental caries and BMI

Taste perception plays an essential role in our life .It is a complex phenomenon related to the perception of flavors defined by the combination of sensations coming from the olfactory gustatory and trigeminal systems. Taste arises from chemical substances dissolved in saliva interacting with specific proteins i.e. taste receptors which trigger the activation of taste receptor cells (TRCs) located on gustatory papillae on the tongue. Specific signal transduction pathways are mediated by the taste receptors existing for each taste type: sweet umami and bitter are determined by organic molecules and their receptors ( G protein-coupled receptors ) while sour and salty tastes arise from the presence of ions detected by ion channels. Humans have around 5000 to 10000 taste buds located on the epithelium of the tongues surface palate epiglottis pharynx and esophagus. Taste perception has several aspects: intensity hedonics (pleasantness or unpleasantness) and quality.