The use of saliva as an unconventional sample for drug detection: A review

Global trends in drug trafficking and drug usage patterns indicate a continuing pattern of escalation throughout the world. Over the last two decades, urine analysis has evolved into a highly accurate means for determining whether individuals have been exposed to illicit drugs of abuse. Advances have also been made in the use of alternate biological matrices such as hair, oral fluids and sweat for drug testing. This review evaluates the use of saliva in drug analysis and in therapeutic and toxicological monitoring.