Salivary biomarkers and temporomandibular disorders: A systematic review

Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are a common condition affecting the musculoskeletal group evoking clinical signs such as pain, restricted mouth opening, and disability in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), masticatory musculature, and the osseous structures in the surroundings. Saliva is a strong proponent of a diagnostic and prognostic tool for TMDs. Hence, a systematic review was undertaken to answer the research question "What is the role of salivary biomarkers in the identification of TMD?" A thorough literature search was performed in databases of PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar till February 2022. Every included study was characterized by Study ID, location, sample size, demographic information, biomarker analysis, assessment method, and results. Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess the methodological quality of all qualifying research. A total of eight articles were included for the review after screening the titles, abstracts, and full-text articles. The review included articles of observational design with a control group. TMD disorders were confirmed both clinically and radiographically in the study of Shoukri et al. TMDs are commonly prevalent in maxillofacial conditions. Despite the availability of various diagnostic techniques, certain limitations are remarkable. The researchers are yet to ascertain a gold standard biomarker to identify TMD.