Rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 in saliva: Can an endodontist take the lead in point-of-care COVID-19 testing?

Abstract Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly contagious zoonotic virus that originated from Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The resulting disease known as COVID-19 was declared as a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. As of April 25, 2020, more than 2.72 million cases have been reported across 213 countries and territories, resulting in more than 187,847 deaths (https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019). The disease spreads through aerosol droplets and has an incubation period of 1-14 days. Research addressing crucial unknowns regarding clinical severity, the extent of transmission, and treatment options is going on all over the world since the disease inception. The primary response strategy includes limiting human-to-human transmission.