Saliva and biofilm-based diagnostics: a critical review of the literature concerning sialochemistry.

UNLABELLED

There is some evidence to support the use of salivary diagnostics in dentistry.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The use of saliva as a diagnostic fluid has the potential to shape the role of oral health care professionals in the health care system. While more than a handful of chairside diagnostic tests are available for use by private practitioners, the evidence supporting their use continues to emerge.

METHODS

An electronic search of the literature indexed on the PubMed electronic database was conducted to identify human clinical trials utilizing commercially available salivary diagnostics. Papers meeting the inclusion criteria, and any applicable references were critically appraised following SORT guidelines.

CONCLUSIONS

While the literature concerning salivary analysis is continuously growing, the limited literature that is available doesn't focus on patient oriented health outcomes. This 'infant' literature is focused on validating metrics and identifying biomarkers with diagnostic potential. As such, the evidence level of the literature is graded as level 3. Despite the lower grade, the research in this area shows consistent results, coherent conclusions, and research identifying new biomarkers will provide additional dimensions to salivary diagnostics.