Saliva in coronavirus disease-2019: A reliable diagnostic tool and imperative transmitter: A review

ABSTRACT

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) caused by zoonotic virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, in 41 patients with a perplexing pneumonia. Ever since, it has wreaked havoc in the entire world and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. According to the WHO, 2019-nCoV principally spreads through respiratory droplets and saliva, thus making dental care and other aerosol-generating practices precarious in nature. Saliva is a bio mixture secreted from major and minor salivary glands which plays a vital role in prompt diagnosis and close contact transmission of the disease. In this article, we discuss the role of saliva in the diagnosis and as a potent transmitter of COVID-19 infection.