Nanomaterial Biosensors in Salivary Diagnosis of Oral Cancer: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Oral cancer is among the highest in the Indian subcontinent. Advanced stages of oral cancer are associated with severe morbidity and higher mortality. Salivary diagnosis is novel and non-invasive. It could be employed on patients even with restricted mouth opening. Hence, an attempt was made to retrieve relevant data regarding this clinically relevant topic. This article has reviewed metal oxide nanoparticles as a biosensor (BS) in salivary diagnosis for oral cancer. Gold, copper oxide, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were used in BS applications. A search from the PUBMED database collection (2004 to 2024) was performed to identify the nanoparticle biomarkers and salivary diagnosis in oral cancer. It revealed 30 articles. All the relevant data was extracted and tabulated in this review. We have discussed the relevance of these BS in salivary diagnosis with their corresponding clinical parameters and sensitivity. We hope that this review summarizes the available literature on this topic and incites dedicated research in prompt and early diagnosis of oral cancer, which directly influences the quality of life outcomes in such patients.

Keywords: biomems; biosensors; diagnostics; nano biochips; nanomaterials; oral cancer; oscc biomarkers; saliva; screening tools; tongue cancer.

Figure 1. Flow diagram of the article search

Flow diagram created with https://estech.shinyapps.io/prisma_flowdiagram/