Figure 5.

The suitable setting for each salivary diagnostic procedure. (a) In a hospital or centralized laboratory facility, real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) represents the reference standard. However, this procedure requires an adequate supply of reagents and the presence of specialized personnel. Only selected cases should undergo this procedure, avoiding thus the crowding of laboratories and other health facilities. Direct rRT-PCR without RNA extraction can be used as a preliminary analysis to screen the suspected COVID-19 patients with suggestive symptoms when entering the emergency room. (b) Point-of-care technology represents a valid and useful tool to help physicians who treat patients in a setting outside the hospital, such as a general practitioner’s surgery. (c) Point-of-need devices are suitable for mass screening programs and for the analysis of salivary samples directly on the field where the test is needed, like a school, a cinema or theater, a restaurant, or an airport.