Molecular and Genetic Medicine

Saliva Biomarkers: The Unsung Hero of Diagnostics

Abstract

Mishra A

With the advancement in technology, compositional analysis of saliva for diagnosis of various medical conditions has attracted the researchers over the last decade. Monitoring the salivary biomarkers help in early detection of diseases and increase the rate of success of the treatment. Sampling of saliva is safe, simple, cost effective and does not demand an expertise for collection. Therefore, saliva can be an important diagnostic armamentarium for mass screening for a specific disease or in remote areas. However, despite of various research, there are no definite guidelines regarding sensitivity and specificity of salivary diagnostic tools. Health care professionals must go hand in hand with government agencies to develop more research so that a general acceptance can be developed like that of traditional blood/urine analysis.