Exploring Saliva as a Sample for Non-Invasive Glycemic Monitoring in Diabetes: A Scoping Review.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Diabetes mellitus is characterized by a dysregulated glucose metabolism, necessitating frequent and often invasive monitoring techniques for its effective management. Saliva, a non-invasive and readily accessible biofluid, has been proposed as a potential alternative for glycemic monitoring due to its biochemical correlation with blood glucose levels. This scoping review aims to evaluate the evidence regarding the use of salivary glucose as a biomarker to track glycemic changes in diabetic populations. Methods: This study adhered to the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines and the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews. A literature search was performed across the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases, supplemented by manual searches. Results: A total of fifty-seven studies were included, representing populations affected by type 1 diabetes (T1D), type 2 diabetes (T2D), and gestational diabetes (GD). The findings indicated consistent positive correlations between the salivary and blood glucose levels in most studies, although there were significant variations in the sensitivity, specificity, and methodological approaches. Salivary glucose showed promise as a complementary biomarker for glycemic monitoring, particularly due to its non-invasive nature. Conclusions: Challenges such as variability in salivary composition, the absence of standardized collection protocols, and the limited availability of portable devices were noted. This review highlights the potential of saliva as an adjunct sample for diabetes management while stressing the need for further research to bridge existing gaps.