Cytokines play a large role in regulating many aspects of the immune response, so they are useful tools for diagnosing and monitoring the oral cavity along with other factors.2,5 One of the recent studies indicated the possibility of using saliva as a diagnostic material to measure the biomarkers released during the onset and progression of the disease.5 Immune cell products (IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6) play an important role in oral mucosal pathology, but the exact role of cytokines in the etiology of dental caries is not well known. The gene discussed is TNF; the disease is dental caries.