ABSTRACT
The oral cavity present itself as a home to a rich flora of bacteria; more than 500 distinct microbial species are found in dental plaque. Mycoplasma, yeast, protozoa and viruses are found in the plaque as the non-bacterial microorganism. Viruses are known to be immunosuppressive and facilitate establishment of subgingival pathogens and have been detected in the gingival crevicular fluid. Viruses infect the inflammatory cells of the periodontium; they are present more frequently in diseased sites than in healthy sites. Traditional methods such as in vitro cultivation presents difficulty in detecting viruses. The field of virology has advanced greatly over the past two decades because of the introduction of sophisticated molecular tools, such as monoclonal antibodies, polymerase chain reaction based amplification, DNA sequencing, DNA and protein micro array chip assays, rapid diagnostic tests. These technologies identify the viral bodies, proteins and nucleic acids in body fluids and tissue samples.
ABSTRACT
Sensitive and reliable early diagnostic markers for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remain unavailable. Early identification of recurrence for OSCC is also a challenge. Unlike the other deep cancers, OSCC is located in oral cavity. The DNA, RNA, and protein derived from the living cancer cells and inflammatory cells can be conveniently obtained from saliva. High-throughput genomic and proteomic approaches have been carried out to identify the potential biomarkers in body fluids such as saliva and blood for diagnosis and prognosis of OSCC. Using saliva for disease diagnostics and health surveillance is a promising approach as collecting saliva is relatively easy and noninvasive. This article reviewed the recently identified biomarkers from saliva for OSCC. Effective screening to identify high-risk patients can allow the clinician to provide the appropriate treatment without delay and to reduce the recurrence of OSCC.