Salivary Diagnostics

Since ages body fluids routinely used for diagnostic purposes are blood, urine, tears and cerebral spinal fluid but these fluids require more invasive collection procedures, potentially causing discomfort and stress to the patient during procurement. Since 2002, the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) created opportunities to overpower these limitations by investigating oral fluids as a diagnostic tool for assessment of health and disease status. In the past 50 years salivary research has picked up the pace with the dawn of new techniques that illuminated the biochemical and physicochemical properties of saliva embracing the multifunctional roles that saliva has in speech, lubrication, digestion of food and maintaining oral and general health.There is an opportunity of enhancing research conducted in the field and expanding the adaptability of using saliva as the diagnostic fluid in point of care diagnostics.