Table 2.

Comparison of stimulated saliva collection and unstimulated saliva collection.

Collection Type	Methodology	Collection Volume	Collection Time	Impact on Detection	Post-Collection Processing Difficulty	References
Unstimulated Saliva Collection	Parotid gland using cotton swab.	Low	Long	Minimizes analyte dilution, better basal state representation.	Potentially high due to filtration	132,133
	Submandibular/sublingual glands using syringe every second minute.	Moderate	Moderate	Better basal state representation.	Moderate	134
Stimulated Saliva Collection	Parotid gland using polyethylene tubes or cone-shaped sialographic cannulas.	High	Long	Suitable for clinical diagnosis, less contamination.	High due to invasive methods	135,136
	Parotid gland using Carlsson-Critten collector or Lashley cup with citric acid stimulation.	High	Moderate	Suitable for clinical diagnosis, less contamination.	Moderate	135,137
	Whole saliva via chewing gum or tasting.	High	Short to moderate	Increased salivary flow and pH; variable composition based on stimulation method.	Low	138,139 140,133