Supporting information and resources
For many years saliva has been used as a biological fluid for the detection of different biomarkers such as electrolytes, hormones, drugs and antibodies in human and veterinary medicine.
Indeed, the field of salivary diagnostics has become a billion dollar market in the USA alone, in what is rapidly becoming a truly global industry.
Sample collection can be easily self-administered and is non-invasive, painless and very convenient – especially for the patients. These are the key advantages to using this mode as opposed to blood, which is more cumbersome, invasive, sometimes painful, carries greater risk of infection and in some territories requires medical supervision. Also For many, the simple notion of blood testing is unsavory.
Furthermore, collecting saliva samples is possible any time, day or night because of the overall convenience of collection. Saliva collection can be accomplished under circumstances where blood collection is difficult or inadvisable.
Samples can be collected quickly and easily and analysed within a matter of minutes from collection or sent to the lab where a wider range of tests are available.