| REVIEW ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2012 | Volume
: 1
| Issue : 2 | Page : 72-76 |
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Saliva and dental practice
Aiswaryalekshmy Sreelatha Umeswaran Nair, Rooban Thavarajah, Kannan Ranganathan
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Ragas Dental College and Hospital, Uthandi, Chennai, India
Correspondence Address:
Rooban Thavarajah
Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Ragas Dental College and Hospital, Uthandi, Chennai-600119
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/2277-8632.98328
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Human saliva plays an important role in the health of the oral cavity and of the body as a whole. It is a complex fluid that is actively secreted by the major and minor salivary glands. Its composition shows variations that reflect the physiology and the systemic health of the individual. It has the potential to be used for early detection of disease and assessment of its progression and treatment outcome. As a diagnostic tool, saliva has the unique advantage of being readily-available, and its collection is non-invasive. The field of salivary diagnostics and research is gaining importance and is becoming a major area of focus for researchers. Discovery of salivary biomarkers and its validation had broadened the use of salivary diagnostics from assessment of dental caries to the diagnosis of cardiac diseases and malignancies remote from the oral cavity. This article intends to give an overview of this exciting area of salivary research. |
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