Recent developments of point-of-care testing (POCT) and in vitro diagnostic medical devices have provided analytical capabilities and reliable diagnostic results for rapid access at or near the patient's location. Nevertheless, the challenges of reliable diagnosis still remain an important factor in actual clinical trials before on-site medical treatment and making clinical decisions. New classes of POCT devices depict precise diagnostic technologies that can detect biomarkers in biofluids such as sweat, tears, saliva or urine. The introduction of a novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) system as an artificial bioreceptor for the POCT devices could be one of the emerging candidates to improve the analytical performance along with physicochemical stability when used in harsh environments. Here, we review the potential availability of MIP-based biorecognition systems as custom artificial receptors with high selectivity and chemical affinity for specific molecules. Further developments to the progress of advanced MIP technology for biomolecule recognition are introduced. Finally, to improve the POCT-based diagnostic system, we summarized the perspectives for high expandability to MIP-based periodontal diagnosis and the future directions of MIP-based biosensors as a wearable format.
Keywords: biomolecule; molecularly imprinted polymer; oral disease; point-of-care test; wearable device.