Hassle-free saliva test to offer detailed dental check in Japan

According to The Asahi Shimbun, dental patients will soon be able to have a quick and hassle-free oral health check by simply dipping a piece of paper in their saliva if a new kit catches on at clinics.
Hygiene goods giant Lion Corp. has developed a system to check the condition of teeth and gums based on a five-minute saliva analysis.
According to Lion officials, it is the first time that a system has been developed that can promptly survey multiple factors associated with tooth health.
Priced at 198,000 yen (US$1,900), excluding tax, the equipment, named Salivary Multi Test, is as small as a human palm and has been marketed primarily to dental clinics.
When using the saliva analysis system, users only need to apply a sample of saliva to test paper using a device. After five minutes, results are produced in six categories, such as the quantity of cavity-causing bacteria and the number of white blood cells, which is raised by gum inflammation.
Dentists can add their own comments to the survey findings before handing them to patients. The results can also be compared with those from past check-ups, according to Lion.
Working with Aichi Gakuin University’s School of Dentistry, Lion spent seven years developing Salivary Multi Test. The company is looking to sell the new system to 10,000 of all the 68,000 dental clinics across Japan.
Lion will also urge pharmacies and organizations that offer health check-up services to introduce the system so that patients can have any mouth problems detected in their early stages.
It intends to sell oral care products that are more effective for certain patients based on their analysis results, as well. There is also a plan to combine big data with findings from the system in the future, the officials said.

Ref:http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201611070012.html

​If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
http://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/6180788