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Blood contamination in salivary diagnostics: current methods and their limitations
Jeong-Hyun Kang1,2, Hong-Seop Kho1,3
1Department of Oral Medicine and Oral Diagnosis, School of Dentistry and Dental Research Institute, Seoul National University, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea (ROK).
Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
|December 5, 2018
Summary
Blood contamination significantly impacts whole saliva diagnostics. This review examines methods for detecting blood in saliva, highlighting transferrin as a reliable marker, though influenced by various physiological factors.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Clinical Diagnostics
- Salivary Diagnostics
Background:
- Increased use of saliva samples in clinical research.
- Blood contamination compromises the diagnostic accuracy of whole saliva due to higher analyte concentrations in blood.
- Need for reliable methods to quantify blood contamination in saliva.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing methods for measuring blood contamination in saliva.
- To evaluate the limitations of these detection methods.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search conducted across Web of Science, SCOPUS, and PubMed.
- Inclusion of 49 articles focused on salivary diagnostics and blood contamination measurements.
- Discussion of five methods: visual inspection, urinalysis strips, and detection of hemoglobin, albumin, and transferrin.
Main Results:
- Each discussed method presents specific limitations.
- Transferrin identified as the most reliable and valid marker for blood contamination in saliva.
- Transferrin levels in saliva can be affected by non-blood-related factors including age, hormones, salivary flow rate, chewing, and oral microbiota.
Conclusions:
- Quantitative analysis of whole saliva samples necessitates consideration of blood contamination.
- Transferrin, while a strong indicator, requires careful interpretation due to confounding physiological variables.
- Further research may be needed to refine blood contamination assessment in salivary diagnostics.
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