The advantages and disadvantages of the saliva collector for SMA detection are as follows:

Advantages

• Non – invasive：Compared with traditional methods such as blood collection, saliva collection is a non – invasive procedure. It does not cause pain or skin damage to the subjects, especially suitable for children, the elderly, and those with a fear of blood collection. This can reduce their discomfort and psychological stress during the testing process.
• Simple to Operate：The saliva collector is usually easy to use. It does not require professional medical staff to operate. The subjects can collect saliva samples by themselves. According to the instructions, they can collect saliva into the collector through actions such as chewing, swallowing, or directly spitting. The operation is easy to master.
• Rapid Collection：Collecting a saliva sample takes relatively little time, usually within a few minutes. There is no need for procedures like needle – pricking and hemostasis required in blood collection. This can improve the testing efficiency, saving time and labor costs.
• Good Sample Stability：The biological components in saliva have good stability under certain conditions. After collection, the saliva sample can maintain its biological characteristics for a long time under appropriate storage conditions, which is convenient for transportation and storage, and conducive to subsequent testing and analysis.
• High Repeatability：If multiple tests are needed or dynamic monitoring of the same patient is required, the saliva collector can be used for repeated collection conveniently. It does not cause additional burden to the subject’s body, and can provide continuous monitoring data for the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

Disadvantages

• Limited Detection Sensitivity：Although saliva contains biomarkers related to SMA, compared with samples such as blood, the content of certain biomarkers may be lower. This may affect the detection sensitivity, resulting in some early – stage or mildly – symptomatic patients not being detected accurately and timely, leading to false – negative results.
• Many Interfering Factors：The composition and quality of saliva can be easily affected by various factors, such as diet, oral hygiene, and saliva secretion. For example, consuming certain foods or medications before the test may change the chemical composition of saliva, thus interfering with the accuracy of the test results. The subjects need to strictly follow the relevant precautions before collection.
• Limited Detection Items：Currently, the technology for detecting SMA based on saliva is still in the process of continuous development and improvement. The indicators and items that can be detected through saliva are relatively limited. For some complex SMA gene tests or other related tests, it may still be necessary to combine with other samples such as blood for comprehensive analysis to obtain a more accurate diagnosis.
• Complex Result Interpretation：Due to the complexity of saliva samples and the limitations of detection technology, the interpretation of saliva test results may be relatively complex. It requires professional technicians and equipment for analysis. Moreover, there may be certain differences between different detection methods and laboratories, which brings certain difficulties to the accurate interpretation and comparison of results.