Salivary Diagnostics

Saliva is a noninvasive and accessible biofluid that permits early detection of oral and systemic diseases. Recent scientific and technologic advances have uncovered specific salivary biomarkers for a number of clinical conditions, including cancers, autoimmune diseases, and cardiovascular disorders. The availability of highly sensitive and high-throughput assays such as microarray, mass spectrometry, reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and nano-scale sensors that can measure proteins and nucleic acids are poising saliva as an emerging biofluid for translational and clinical applications. This paper will discuss development of salivary biomarkers for the detection of oral and systemic diseases and the translational application of these markers for clinical applications.