Salivary Bioscience, Immunity, and Inflammation

The study of immune and inflammatory markers in saliva has gained increased attention in recent years with the advancements in assay technology and a heightened focus on cross-systems biology and psychoneuroimmunology. Salivary immune markers are important for the study of both oral and systemic health. Salivary inflammation, in particular, has been widely examined across many fields as both an area of interest and a source of confounding variance. In this chapter, we discuss the opportunities and challenges of studying immune markers in saliva and review the current state of knowledge regarding the study of salivary immune biomeasures, including salivary cytokines, C-reactive protein, and immunoglobulins. Analysis and interpretation issues particularly important for studying immune-related analytes, such as the impact of oral and systemic health, the interpretation of the serum–saliva correlation, and multisystem measurement and analysis techniques, are discussed. Finally, we discuss future directions for the study of salivary immune markers and applications of this research to clinical care and health monitoring and surveillance programs.