Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Drug testing in oral fluid.

Olaf H Drummer1

  • 1Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, Department of Forensic Medicine, Monash University, Southbank, Victoria, Australia. olaf@vifm.org

The Clinical Biochemist. Reviews
|February 3, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Drug toxicity deaths associated with opioid agonist treatment: An analysis of methadone and buprenorphine-related fatalities in Victoria, Australia.

Forensic science international·2025
Same author

An analysis of offence patterns and legal response to one-punch fatalities in Australia.

Medicine, science, and the law·2025
Same author

Trends in alcohol, MDMA, methylamphetamine and THC in injured and deceased motor vehicle drivers and motorcyclists over a decade (2010-2019) in Victoria, Australia.

Injury prevention : journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention·2025
Same author

Deaths involving novel benzodiazepines in Victoria, Australia from 2018 to 2022.

Journal of analytical toxicology·2024
Same author

The analysis of methylamphetamine and para-hydroxy-methylamphetamine in post-mortem hair samples using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Drug testing and analysis·2024
Same author

A retrospective review of methylamphetamine detected in child deaths reported to the Victorian Coroner, Australia.

Forensic science, medicine, and pathology·2024

Oral fluid drug testing offers a quick, non-invasive method for detecting substances like amphetamines and cannabis. Despite challenges in collection and interpretation, advancements in mass spectrometry have improved accuracy for workplace and roadside drug screening.

Area of Science:

  • Forensic Toxicology
  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Oral fluid (saliva) drug testing has seen significant advancements over the past decade.
  • It provides a non-invasive and rapid alternative to traditional urine or blood drug tests.
  • Challenges include variable fluid volume and potential drug concentration alterations due to physiological factors or collection methods.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review developments in oral fluid drug testing over the last 10 years.
  • To outline the roles, applications, and challenges of oral fluid drug testing.
  • To illustrate specific applications for various drugs of abuse and therapeutic agents.

Main Methods:

  • Screening techniques adapted from other specimens, focusing on parent drug detection.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Confirmatory testing primarily utilizes Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) for high sensitivity and low sample volume requirements.
  • Development of rapid, on-site presumptive testing methods.

    • Main Results:

    • Oral fluid drug testing is widely applied in workplace safety, roadside screening, and impairment assessments.
    • Concentrations of basic drugs (e.g., amphetamines, cocaine) in oral fluid are comparable or higher than in plasma.
    • Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) shows similar oral fluid and blood concentrations during elimination, with local absorption impacting initial detection windows.

    Conclusions:

    • Oral fluid drug testing is a valuable tool for detecting a range of drugs, including illicit substances and therapeutic drugs.
    • Technological advancements, particularly in mass spectrometry, have enhanced the reliability and scope of oral fluid analysis.
    • Despite collection and interpretation challenges, oral fluid testing offers a practical and effective solution for drug monitoring.