SALIVARY BIOMARKERS OF DENTAL CARIES - A REVIEW ARTICLE

Saliva is the complex mixture of fluids that surrounds the oral tissues, secreted by the major and minor salivary glands1. Human saliva not only lubricates the oral tissues, making oral functions such as speaking, eating, and swallowing possible, but also protects teeth and oral mucosal surfaces in different ways. Dental caries is recognized as a multi-factorial infectious disease caused by complex interactions among acid-producing bacteria, fermentable carbohydrates and many host factors including saliva. Saliva is easy to collect, to store, and can be obtained at low cost in sufficient quantities for analysis by a non-invasive method. Thus it has the potential to be used in the early detection and diagnosis of various oral diseases due to the abundant biomarkers present in saliva. Saliva biomarkers such as salivary flow, salivary pH, salivary proteins, microorganisms etc, are used for the prediction, diagnosis, prognosis and management of dental caries, as well as for evaluating the outcome of therapeutic regimens. This article aims to providea brief overview of salivary biomarkers present which can be used for the early detection nd prevention of dental caries in humans.