Review Potential uses of human salivary protein and peptide analysis in the diagnosis of disease Sausan Al Kawas a,b , Zubaidah H.A. Rahim b , David B. Ferguson b, * a Department of Oral & Craniofacial Health Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates b Department of Oral Biology, Faculty of Dentistry, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Contents 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2. Analysis of the proteome of saliva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3. Proteome of normal human saliva (Table 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 4. Problems of standardisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 5. Concept of biomarkers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 6. Salivary proteomes in relation to oral diseases (Table 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 6.1. Dental caries susceptibility (Table 2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 6.2. Evaluation of periodontal disease (Table 2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 6.3. Diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (Table 3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 6.4. Salivary variation in other oral inflammatory diseases (Table 4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 7. Salivary proteomes in relation to systemic diseases (Table 4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 8. Practical issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 9. Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 a r c h i v e s o f o r a l b i o l o g y 5 7 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 1 – 9 a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Accepted 21 June 2011 Keywords: Saliva Proteome analysis Diagnostic methods Oral disease Biomarkers a b s t r a c t Saliva is an important body fluid containing a complex mixture of proteins, peptides and other substances. These are not only important in maintaining the health of the oral cavity but also may yield information about oral and systemic disease. Comprehensive analysis and identification of the proteomic content of human saliva may contribute to the under- standing of oral pathophysiology and provide a foundation for the recognition of potential biomarkers of human disease. The collection of saliva samples is non-invasive, safe, and inexpensive. It seems likely that testing methods can be developed which can be used in general medical or dental practice. However, it is important to realize that the collection of saliva must be carefully controlled. In this paper we review the progress in the analysis of the human salivary proteome and summarise the diagnostic possibilities that have been explored. The precautions in collecting saliva, and some of the factors which would have to be considered if a diagnostic test were to be generally adopted are discussed. # 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. E-mail address: dbferguson@supanet.com (D.B. Ferguson). availab le at www .s cien c edir ect .co m journal homepage: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/aob 0003–9969/$ – see front matter # 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.archoralbio.2011.06.013