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Saliva – A Promising Tool for Diagnosing Oral Diseases

  • Epidemiology (M Laine, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Oral Health Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review will present updates on the genome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, exosome, and microbiome of saliva and the wide range of biomarkers found within these salivary components. We will explore the effectiveness and potential of salivary diagnostics on specific diseases: dental caries and demineralization diseases, periodontal diseases and peri-implantitis, oral cancers, and Sjögren’s syndrome.

Recent Findings

Recent studies have shown the feasibility of saliva as a diagnostic tool, in addition to the emergence of many novel salivary biomarkers. Unfortunately, many of these studies do not explore further into the outcomes of patient-oriented health and do not demonstrate reliability in diverse patient populations.

Summary

Salivary diagnostics is an emerging field that uses saliva, for its non-invasive, fast, and cost-effective collection properties, as a diagnostic tool. In the near future, we expect that salivary diagnostics will benefit from technological advances and further studies to be used as a routine chair-side test included in a comprehensive diagnostic and risk assessment tool.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Craniofacial Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells Laboratory, Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, 3640 University Street, Montreal, QC, H3A 0C7, Canada

    David T. Wu, Owen Tao, Nathalie Trinh & Simon D. Tran

  2. Graduate Periodontics, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Mohammad A. Javaid

  3. Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    Ahad S. Ahmed

  4. Division of Periodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Robert Durand

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  1. David T. Wu
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  2. Owen Tao
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Correspondence to Simon D. Tran.

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Wu, D.T., Tao, O., Trinh, N. et al. Saliva – A Promising Tool for Diagnosing Oral Diseases. Curr Oral Health Rep 5, 242–249 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40496-018-0200-4

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