Saliva as a Mirror of the Body Health

Abstract

Saliva has an old history of study, It is of physiological importance. Saliva has hundreds of components which help detect systemic diseases and also provide biomarkers of health and disease status. Saliva has three major functions: digestion, protection and lubrication. Saliva also functions in maintenance of tooth integrity. Also, the carbohydrates of salivary glycoprotein carry the ABH blood group antigens, expressing in the salivary glands and secreted in the saliva. Saliva is a good indicator of the plasma levels of various substances such as hormones and drugs. The use of saliva as a diagnostic and monitoring method for periodontal diseases and many other infectious diseases has been studied. The relatively easy and non-invasive nature of sample collecting is considered as a simple low-cost stage but the problem is the low concentrations of the markers in comparsion to the plasma.