Role of salivary biomarkers in diagnosis of periodontitis - a literature review

Abstract

Periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of oral cavity, caused by the complex interactions between host immune system and sub-gingival microbiota leading to chronic gingival inflammation, loss of periodontal ligament attachment, dental impairment, and finally tooth loss. Prevalence of periodontal disease varies and reported a higher prevalence in Asian countries. The conventional diagnostic techniques used for periodontitis are inherently limited. Periodontitis immunopathogenesis studies and mediator analyzes in saliva allowed the identification of a number of disease-specific molecular biomarkers. In this review article, diagnostic role of various salivary biomarkers in periodontitis has been discussed. Original articles, systematic and narrative reviews related to relevant study, published since 2009-2019 were included in the literature search through PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science and Scopus. Convenient assessments of these salivary biomarkers with analytical chair facilities will yield more accurate diagnostic results which will further aid in early detection and better clinical management of periodontitis patients.