Introduction: The harmful effects of smoking tobacco are well known globally. Yet, there is a global rise in the trend of cigarette smoking that warrants a rapid mass screening method to reinforce tobacco cessation. Although chemical markers such as carbon monoxide, nicotine, and cotinine have been used in the past, they are limited by problems in collecting usable samples, analytic costs, and validity. Hence, thiocyanates in blood, urine, and saliva are consistently related to cigarette smoking in laboratory and field studies.
Objectives: To review the literature where salivary thiocyanate has been used as a marker for smoking detection and to discuss in detail about its usage as a viable marker.
Materials and Method: A literature search was done in PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science with key words salivary thiocyanate and smoker. A total of 49 articles were found and downsized to 18 articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Result: The results of all the studies showed that there is up to a 50% increase in salivary thiocyanate levels in smokers when compared to non-smokers.
Discussion: Thiocyanate is an end-product of the detoxification of hydrogen cyanide present in cigarette smoke and is translated into an elevated level of thiocyanate in smokers, which can be used as a potential marker. Among all the studies reviewed, the Densen methodology is widely used.