Salivary Biomarkers of Chronic Periodontitis

aliva is a complex hypertonic solution which is an exudate from salivary acini, gingival crevicular fluid and oral mucosa. Major salivary glands include parotid, submandibular and sublingual glands which secrete approximately 90% of saliva and the rest 10% of saliva is produced by minor salivary glands.1 Saliva contains 99% of water and 1% consist of organic molecules and inorganic component (e.g., proteins, carbohydrates and lipids). A healthy person secretes 600ml of saliva in the whole day.2 The function of saliva is to maintain the oral cavity health by means of their antibacterial and antiviral activity. It also helps in lubrication, taste, digestion and provides tooth integrity and repair of oral mucosa3 (Figure 1). "The term, biomarker, refers to measurable and quantifiable biological parameters than can serve as indicators for health and physiology-related assessments, such as pathogenic processes, environmental exposure, disease diagnosis and prognosis or pharmacologic responses to a therapeutic intervention".4 According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a biomarker is a characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated as an indicator of a normal biological process, pathogenic process, or pharmaceutical response to therapeutic intervention.5