More dental practices and DSOs believe salivary diagnostics will become a new standard of care and improve patient outcomes and advance oral systemic healthcare.
The development of rapid tests during the COVID-19 pandemic fueled interest in salivary diagnostic tests, according to the American Dental Association. These tests are being examined for their effectiveness at screening patients for oral or systemic diseases, monitoring infections, detecting drugs and evaluating endocrine disorders and cancer risk.
The ADA noted that although oral fluid-based diagnostic tests exist for certain infections and drug use, no salivary diagnostic tests have received FDA approval for evaluating the risk of periodontal disease, dental caries or head and neck cancer as of October 2023.
However, dental execs are optimistic about the potential for these tests to improve medical-dental integrated care and prevent certain oral health conditions.
Robert Kolts, DDS, the senior vice president of clinical affairs at Premier Care Dental Management, told Becker's that saliva testing is a core focus for New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Dental365, a subsidiary of PCDM.
Dental365 currently uses SalivaScore, a patented oral biomarker test used to detect tissue breakdown and destruction around teeth and implants.
"The saliva testing we've implemented is primarily for determining a patient's prognosis or susceptibility for periodontal disease, but now the ability has been expanded so we can help our patients receive oral cancer screenings," Dr. Kolts said. "That's a new initiative we're just beginning to roll out that we're excited for. Over the coming months and years, we're going to continue to see saliva testing explode and what it can test for and the impact it's bringing to our patients."
Dental365 Founder and CEO Scott Asnis, DDS, referred to these tests as the "future of dentistry."
"Saliva testing will be part of the standard of care for all dentists," Dr. Asnis told Becker's. "My dentists are already trained to be oral physicians. Saliva testing is here to stay and it's part of our molecular dentistry that we perform for patients … These saliva tests give our providers the ability to see around the corners and give patients preventive strategies."
Pacific Dental Services Founder and CEO Stephen Thorne IV also pointed to salivary testing as an upcoming standard of care for dentists.
"Another significant development on the horizon is the integration of salivary diagnostics in dentistry, which holds immense potential," he said. "I predict that within the next decade, it will become standard practice for every dentist in America to incorporate salivary diagnostics to gain a deeper understanding of their patients' overall health."