Evaluation of the Efficacy of Saliva as a Specimen in the Estimation of Biochemical Analytes in Diabetics.

Abstract

Diabetes requires invasive blood sampling, making diagnosis and routine monitoring challenging. Saliva as a biological fluid is gaining popularity in monitoring health and diagnosis procedures. This study examined the suitability of saliva as a specimen for the analysis of specific analytes in diabetics.

A control group of 25 healthy individuals and 45 diabetics subjects were enlisted. Blood and unstimulated saliva samples were taken from each group. The enzymatic method was used to estimate salivary and plasma glucose levels, while the chemical method was used to determine albumin and total protein levels. A p-value of >0.05 was deemed statistically significant after the collected data were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) 26. The fasting salivary glucose level in the test group was significantly higher than in the control group (p=0.01). The albumin and total protein levels did not differ significantly (p=0.38, p=0.93). Total protein, albumin, and postprandial salivary glucose levels were considerably higher in the test group than in the control group (p = 0.00). Saliva and plasma albumin levels in the test group showed a strong positive correlation (r=0.250, p=0.05). The receiver operating curve (ROC) provided good specificity and sensitivity in postprandial glucose and fasting saliva. This study shows new dimensions in using saliva as a specimen for diabetics and underscores its value in estimating biochemical analytes. Saliva proves important because its potential can be harnessed in point-of-care testing.