For decades, South Carolina dentist and inventor, Coty Fishburne, DDS, (1937-2019) saw the impact of unreported dry mouth in his practice, and set about designing a consistent, absorbent paper indicator that mirrored saliva in the oral cavity in real time — and included a numbered scale so that change can be noted. In 2017, Dr. Fishburne encountered Rita May, a dental consultant to the confectionery industry and known for introducing prevention products to the dental community such as xylitol and Curodont. Together, the two formed Fishburne May, LLC to find a path to market for Dr. Fishburne’s remarkable concept. 

With the advice of many esteemed professionals, from the Mars Wrigley design team to paper experts to industry coaches and dental researchers, Fishburne May’s flagship product was introduced in the research community in 2023. The FishburneTabs™ for Oral Hydration , a patented, simple instrument that can be used by physicians and dentists.

A Sustainable Saliva Collection Platform

However, the Covid Pandemic refocused everything. At the beginning of the Pandemic, SARS Covid saliva samples were collected on the FishburneTabs and consequently frozen and stored for more than 3 years at Tufts University.

Dr. Charles Mace, associate professor of Chemistry at Tufts, is known for his studies of diagnostics in dried blood samples. Mace focused his expertise on the stored saliva samples, “repurposed” the FishburneTabs as a saliva collection device, and conducted an elegant study that validates the use of the FishburneTabs as a platform for ultrasensitive molecular analysis. The result is the FishburneTabs for Saliva Collection an environmentally sustainable saliva sample collection instrument. Feather-light with minimal disposal issues, they provide easily repeatable and consistent collection for lab-based, point of care or self-monitoring opportunities.

While exploring all opportunities, we are engaged with colleagues in the UK, Salvivo Limited and in research with Oasis Diagnostics in Oregon.