Diagnosis of diseases through saliva. Saliva has many advantages in terms of collection, storage, shipping, and voluminous sampling, all of these processes can be carried out very economically compared with serum or urine. Saliva is also easier to handle during diagnostic procedures than blood because it does not clot, thus reducing manipulation techniques for the patient or examinees. The non-invasive collection approach could dramatically reduce anxiety and discomfort and increase their willingness to undergo health check up routinely that will greatly increase the opportunity to monitor their general health over time and to diagnose morbidities. Saliva has been studied extensively as a potential diagnostic tool over the last decade due to its ease and non-invasive accessibility along with its abundance of biomarkers, such as genetic material and proteins. 

1. SALIVARY DIAGNOSTICS

2. DIABETES-SALIVA BASED GLUCOMETER
The Saliva Glucose Biosensor comprises the Glucose Biosensor Unit and a digital
healthcare app. The Glucose Biosensor Unit is a small, disposable strip, which
when exposed to an individual's saliva instantly provides a glucose measurement.
The glucose measurement will be presented in real-time, via a proprietary digital
app on a patient's smart device.
The core scientific innovation of the biosensor lies in the protected modified
organic thin film transistor architecture, incorporating Glucose Oxidase (GOX)
as the recognition element to initiate an electrochemical reaction that produces an
electrical signal. This signal can be displayed on the patient's smart device in real
time. The biosensor exhibits high sensitivity hence is able to detect glucose levels
at considerably lower levels than in blood. It has a linear glucose sensing
capability at concentrations of 100 times lower than current blood measuring
methodologies.
REFERENCES:Shreya Gupta, Meghanand T Nayak, JD Sunitha, Geetanshu Dawar, Nidhi Sinha, and Neelakshi Singh Rallan.Correlation of salivary
glucose level with blood glucose level in diabetes mellitus-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5763852/

3. CANCER DETECTION THROUGH SALIVA
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths
in 2020, or nearly one in six deaths. Its symptoms are often not specific and absent,
until the tumors have already metastasized. Therefore, there is an urgent demand for
developing rapid, highly accurate and non-invasive tools for cancer screening, early
detection, diagnostics, staging and prognostics. Studies have confirmed that many
discriminatory salivary biomarkers can be detected upon the development of systemic
cancers such as oral cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer or
ovarian cancer. Compared to blood, saliva contains a similar variety of DNA, RNA,
proteins, metabolites, and microbiota that can be compiled into a multiplex of cancer
detection markers.
References-Salivary MicroRNA for Diagnosis of Cancer and Systemic Diseases: A
Systematic Review-https://www.mdpi.com/1422-
0067/21/3/907?type=check_update&version=2

4. HIV DETECTION THROUGH SALIVA
The current standard of care for HIV-infected individuals includes routine
monitoring of plasma virus load (VL) and genotypic testing for antiretroviral
(ARV) drug resistance. Most patients with plasma virus >50 copies/mL had
detectable saliva HIV RNA, and the genotypic data was highly concordant
between saliva and plasma. In patients with high levels of plasma HIV RNA,
saliva might be useful in identifying viremia and evaluating drug resistance.
Both HIV and anti-HIV antibodies can be detected in saliva, providing an
alternative to blood to detect HIV antibodies to diagnose HIV infection.
References-Detection of HIV-1 in Saliva: Implications for Case-Identification, Clinical Monitoring and Surveillance for Drug Resistance§
Maya Balamane,*,1 Mark A Winters,1 Sudeb C Dalai,1 Alexandra H Freeman,2 Mark W Traves,3 Dennis M Israelski,3 David A Katzenstein,1 and Jeffrey D
Klausner((https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3111737/#:~:text=Both%20HIV%20and%20anti-HIV,(FDA)%20%5B3%5D)

5. ADVANTAGES OF SALIVA AS A
DIAGNOSTIC TOOL
• Easy sample collection and non-invasive, thus dramatically diminishing discomfort associated with blood
collection and privacy issues associated with urine collection.
• Saliva has many advantages in terms of collection, storage, shipping, and voluminous sampling, all of these
processes can be carried out very economically compared with serum or urine.
• Saliva is also easier to handle during diagnostic procedures than blood because it does not clot, thus reducing
manipulation techniques for the patient or examinees.
• The non-invasive collection approach could dramatically reduce anxiety and discomfort and increase their
willingness to undergo health check up routinely that will greatly increase the opportunity to monitor their general
health over time and to diagnose morbidities.
• Saliva has been studied extensively as a potential diagnostic tool over the last decade due to its ease and non-
invasive accessibility along with its abundance of biomarkers, such as genetic material and proteins.
• Considering their accuracy, efficacy, ease of use and cost effectiveness, salivary diagnostic tests should be
available in health centers.

6. DETECTION OF C-REACTIVE PROTEIN IN
SALIVA
C-Reactive is a protein produced by the liver in
response to inflammation. Because high levels of
CRP in the blood are reliable indicators of
inflammation, a CRP test can be an important first
step in diagnosing medical conditions that cause
inflammation.
A statistically significant correlation was
observed between serum and salivary CRP (r =
0.62, p < 0.001).
References- Detection and Potential Utility of C-Reactive Protein in
Saliva of
Neonates(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4239436/)

7. DETECTION OF CORTISOL IN SALIVA
The steroid hormone cortisol is required for the regulation of blood
pressure, cardiovascular function and many metabolic activities.
The body regulates cortisol levels by controlling cortisol secretion
and production based on levels in the bloodstream.1 An excess of
cortisol leads to Cushing’s syndrome with symptoms that include
obesity, fatigue as well as skin and bone fragility.2 A deficiency in
cortisol leads to Addison’s disease with symptoms including weight
loss, fatigue and darkening of skin folds and scars.
Cortisol was detected in saliva at concentrations as low as 1.0 ng/ml.
The assay had a useful detection range between 1.5 and 10 ng/ml
(5.4 and 36 nM).
References- Detection of cortisol in saliva with a flow-filtered, portable surface plasmon resonance biosensor
system
Richard C. Stevens, Scott D. Soelberg, Steve Near,a and Clement E.
Furlong(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3056881/#:~:text=Cortisol%20was%20detected%20in%20
saliva,the%20low%20range%20of%20detection)

8. FUNCTIONING OF BIOSENSORS

9. THE SALIVA