Saliva Bank Renewal 2023

• Research type

  Research Tissue Bank

• IRAS ID

  333694

• Research summary

  Saliva Bank

• REC name

  South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  23/SC/0333

• Date of REC Opinion

  4 Oct 2023

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion

• Data collection arrangements

  The saliva bank will hold saliva collected from healthy volunteers who are non-smokers. Saliva produced in the mouth is present at all times (unstimulated saliva), but saliva which is produced in response to food or drink (stimulated), is slightly different from unstimulated saliva. The saliva bank will collect stimulated and non-stimulated saliva. Limited donor data will be collected from those who agree to this (gender and year of birth).

  Potential donors will be staff and students working at the University of Bristol or in associated hospital buildings, and will be approached by someone trained in taking informed consent. They will be provided with an information sheet which will also be verbally explained to them, given the chance to ask questions, and if happy to donate asked to sign a consent form. All donors will be able to withdraw their consent at any time without giving a reason, this will be made clear in the information sheet and consent form. Saliva will be used on the same day as collection or if required for subsequent days can be frozen in -20 freezers held within the research laboratories within Bristol Dental School.

• Research programme

  Saliva will be provided for researchers using laboratory tests to investigate processes important oral conditions, such as gum disease, caries, erosion and staining. Researchers may also test products such as toothpastes and mouthrinses or examine dental materials to see if/how they benefit oral conditions. Bank saliva may also be used in the initial stages of development of diagnostic tools for other diseases. Saliva needs to be included when examining effects of lifestyle habits or oral health care products (for example), on teeth, substitute tooth materials or dental materials, to mimic conditions present in the mouth. Saliva influences tooth surface loss or gain, dental material properties and oral bacterial properties such as adhesion. Saliva provides oral bacteria with the things they need to form a biofilm similar to that formed in the mouth. In disease (oral and other), the properties of saliva can change, and it is important to have a source of saliva from healthy donors (saliva bank) which can be compared with that obtained from other banks/studies to identify changes associated with disease. Most researchers will be University staff and students, funded by research councils, charities, or working in collaboration with companies

• Storage license

  12200

• RTBTitle

  Saliva Bank

• Establishment organisation

  University of Bristol - Bristol Dental School

• Establishment organisation address

  Dorothy Hodgkin Building

  Whitson Street

  Bristol

  BS1 3NY