Caries risk test for predicting and assessing the risk of disease

Abstract

Provided are methods, test devices, and diagnostic kits for predicting, assessing, and diagnosing the risk of a disease using salivary analysis. The methods comprise providing a whole (unfractionated) saliva sample from a subject; contacting an aliquot of the saliva with two or more lectins under conditions that allow the two or more lectins to bind to a lectin-binding component of the saliva; detecting the amount of bound lectin; and comparing the amount of bound lectin to the amount known to bind a saliva sample from a control patient, to predict the risk of a disease in the subject. Also provided are methods for reducing the risk of a disease and a method for assessing the risk of the disease at a defined level.

1 . A method for predicting the risk of disease in a subject, said method comprising:
 obtaining an unfractionated saliva sample from said subject;   contacting an aliquot of said saliva with two or more lectins under conditions that allow said two or more lectins to bind to two or more respective lectin-binding components of said saliva;   detecting the amounts of bound lectins; and   comparing the amounts of bound lectins to the respective amounts known to bind a saliva sample from a control subject, wherein the amounts of bound lectins are indicative of the risk of said disease.   
     
     
         2 . A method for preventing or reducing the risk of a disease, the method comprising:
 obtaining an unfractionated saliva sample from a subject;   contacting an aliquot of said saliva with two or more lectins under conditions that allow said two or more lectins to bind respectively to two or more lectin-binding components of said saliva;   detecting the amounts of bound lectins;   comparing the amounts of bound lectins to the respective amounts known to bind a saliva sample from a control subject, wherein the amounts of bound lectins are proportional to the risk of a disease in said subject; and   administering a therapeutic reagent to said subject when the content of the components in said saliva are above or below the respective levels contained in a normal control.   
     
     
         3 . A kit for detecting disease, the kit comprising:
 means for collecting a saliva sample;   means for measuring the amounts of two or more lectin-binding components in said sample; and   an oral fluid standard for comparing with the amounts of said components in said sample.