Emerging research has generated widespread interest in the development of rapid, chairside tests that use saliva or other oral fluids for disease detection. Oral fluid samples are readily accessible as whole saliva or by sampling secretions from specific glands, mucosal transudate, or gingival crevicular fluid. Sampling oral fluids, instead of blood or urine, also offers an attractive medium for detecting a range of candidate biomarkers, such as proteins, electrolytes, hormones, antibodies and DNA/RNA.
Recent studies have demonstrated the advantages of using oral fluid for disease diagnostics, including ease of access, noninvasive sample collection, increased acceptance by patients, rapid results, and reduced risks of infectious disease transmission. New techniques for detecting small quantities of salivary proteins and other analytes at the molecular level have transformed salivary diagnostics into one of dentistry's most promising areas of study.
With funding support from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, charitable foundations, universities and others, researchers have reported promising findings in validating salivary biomarkers for potential use in the diagnosis of oral cancer and Sjogren's syndrome. Multidisciplinary research groups are also developing innovative chairside diagnostic tests that use "lab-on-a-chip" technologies to identify oral fluid biomarkers associated with good health and other biomarkers that may be associated with oral and/or systemic disease.
Salivary diagnostic research holds tremendous promise for improving patient access and developing rapid screening tools and early detection tests for malignancies such as oral squamous cell carcinoma. Their use in the dental office has potential to better integrate dentistry and medicine. Oral fluid diagnostic tests have already been developed to detect HIV status and substance abuse. Continued progress in validating salivary biomarkers and disease-specific oral fluid diagnostics will enhance point-of-care testing by delivering less invasive, more convenient test methods for patients.
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