Evaluating Health Through Your Saliva

Healthy people generally produce up to 2 pints of saliva a day, used for lubrication of the oral cavity, increased taste, and to keep the mouth clean. It’s also used to test for diseases such as tuberculosis, hepatitis, and strep throat. However, with increased testing capabilities, it can be used to detect immunodeficiency, cancer, liver function, hormone imbalances, and to monitor drug use. The accuracy of salivary tests is now equivalent to blood tests, and they are less invasive and painful. Studies indicate a strong correlation between the level of steroid hormones in saliva and the free levels of steroids in the bloodstream. These appear to be exchanged in the saliva ducts. Hormones obtained from the saliva are stable, allowing them to be stored or shipped within 7 days and still register at original levels. Medicaid and other insurers will reimburse for this testing. Saliva is a rich field of material for biomarkers since it contains blood serum, gingival crevicular fluid, electrolytes, epithelial and immune cells, microorganisms, etc. Analysis of these and other assays can be useful in detecting lead, antibodies for HIV, measles, mumps, viral hepatitis A, B, and C, to monitor Sjogren’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and cystic fibrosis, and in tests for drug and alcohol abuse. 

Genetic screening can be useful for identification of health risks, enabling individual targeted treatment and personal healthcare.