Saliva as Diagnostic Material and Current Methods of Collection from Oral Cavity

In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to the use of saliva in laboratory diagnostics aimed at monitoring both human health and diseases. Providing fundamental overview takes the reader through composition, functions, protective effects and significant role as biomarker. Therefore, the purpose of the research was a current review on the topic of saliva composition in relation to applied secretory stimuli used in clinical laboratory.

The paper presents human factors, systems, and neurotransmitters on which saliva production depends. Chapters included a description of the collection methods of unstimulated and stimulated saliva according to the condition of the oral cavity and the usefulness of the analysis of the human saliva as a diagnostic material.

Salivary usefulness expanded to monitoring medications, determination of the number of intoxicants, tobacco, exposure to infectious diseases as viral, bacterial and fungal contaminations. Nevertheless, it is recommended for saliva samples to be collected after dental consultation or by trained medical personnel to exclude any risk of local inflammation in oral cavity.

It may seem that salivary diagnostics is necessary and worthy of updating. This last feature undoubt-edly opens up new possibilities in the research for predictive and diagnostic factors in many human conditions. Salivary diagnostics may contribute to a better understanding of the general health status, and thus to more effec-tive treatment methods and improved prognosis.