Abstract
Saliva is an exocrine secretion produced from the salivary glands and has numerous functions, such as cleansing and protection of the oral cavity, antimicrobial effects and aids in digestion. Due to the speedy development in the field of salivaomics, saliva is now well accepted as a pool of biological markers that vary from changes in biochemicals, nucleic acids and proteins to the microflora. Saliva has an immense potential as a diagnostic fluid and offers an edge over other biological fluids as its collection method does not require invasive procedure, economical and is useful for monitoring systemic health. Development of sensitive and precise salivary diagnostic tools and the formulation of defined guidelines following meticulous testing will allow salivary diagnostics to be utilised as chair side tests for various oral and systemic diseases in the near future.The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic is the biggest challenge and global health crisis for the world since World War Two. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of Covid-19 is crucial in controlling the outbreak in the community and in hospitals. Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs are the recommended specimen types for Covid-19 diagnostic testing. The collection of these specimen types requires close contact between healthcare workers and patients and poses a risk of transmission of the virus, causes discomfort and may cause bleeding, especially in patients with condition such as thrombocytopenia. Hence, nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swabs are not desirable for sequential monitoring of viral load. Saliva specimens can be obtained easily as the patient is asked to spit into a sterile bottle. The collection of saliva is non-invasive and greatly minimizes the exposure of healthcare workers to Covid-19. Saliva has a high consistency rate of greater than 90% with nasopharyngeal specimens in the detection of respiratory viruses, including coronaviruses.Saliva has also been used in screening respiratory viruses among hospitalized patients without pyrexia or respiratory symptoms. SARS-CoV can be detected in saliva at high titers. Salivary diagnostics is a dynamic field that is being incorporated as part of disease diagnosis, clinical monitoring of systemic health and to make significant clinical decisions for patient care. More research is required to analyze the potential diagnostic of Covid-19 in saliva to develop rapid chair side tests for the detection of Covid-19 and it is also pivotal to improve and develop successful strategies for prevention, especially for dentists and healthcare professionals who are involved in performing aerosol-generating procedures.
Highlights
BackgroundSaliva is a hypotonic fluid in nature
The research in the field of salivaomics has a key role in identifying biomarkers and exploring the role of saliva in diagnosis of diseases
It is anticipated that the development of precise salivary diagnostic tools will make salivary diagnostics a reality in the future
Summary
Saliva is a hypotonic fluid in nature. The major salivary glands such as the parotid glands, submandibular glands and sublingual glands secrete approximately 90% of saliva. Saliva can have a significant role in the human-to-human transmission, salivary diagnostics may provide an easy and cost-effective point-of-care platform for quick and early diagnosis of Covid-19 [8] Human diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular, metabolic, infectious and neurological diseases, have global impact. A unique core technology known as electric field-induced release and measurement depends on a multiplexible electrochemical sensor that can detect EGFR mutations in bodily fluids was shown to be effective for the detection of EGFR mutations in the saliva of patients with NSCLC [26] This implies that proteomic biomarkers could be the key for the early diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer. Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs are the suggested upper respiratory tract specimen types for Covid-19 diagnosis The collection of these specimen types requires close contact between healthcare workers and patients, which jeopardize a risk of transmission of the virus to the healthcare workers. Further studies are needed to evaluate the potential diagnostic of Covid-19 in saliva and its impact on transmission of this virus, which is pivotal to develop rapid diagnostic tests and effective strategies for prevention
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
