Abstract :
Saliva is a complex secretion from three major and various minor salivary glands present in mouth. From clinical point of view saliva is an ideal diagnostic fluid because it is non-invasive fluid and can be easily be collected from the patients for biochemical analysis. The other significant characteristic pertinent to saliva is the handling procedure which is much simpler in comparison with serum or blood. There is plethora of studies which shows a positive correlation between blood biomarkers and salivary biomarkers in different clinical conditions of oral and systemic diseases. Saliva has an important role in maintain oral health through variety of its secretions like calcium, phosphorus, Bacteriocins, salivary leukocyte protease inhibitors different enzymes like ptyalin, amylase for carbohydrate and protein metabolism which maintains tooth integrity when there is demineralization and also acts as first line defense against various bacterial and viral infections. In 21 century endodontic there is a paradigm shift in research on the change in composition of the saliva and biomarkers in presence of periodontal / pulpal and other systemic diseases. Molecular methods for identification and quantification of salivary biomarkers like IL-6, IL-8, MMPs are available at chair side for rapid diagnosis of various inflammatory or infective etiology of oral diseases.
Keyword :
Saliva, Salivary Biomarkers, Caries, CRP