Les analyses médico-légales de salives: expertise vis-à-vis l'analyse des drogues

ABSTRACT When intercepting an individual on the road for driving under the influence of drugs (DUID), urine and blood are currently the main biological matrices used for screening. The intimate or invasive character of these biological specimens is undoubtedly a major disadvantage during the collection of specimens. Over the past decades, saliva has turned out to be an interesting alternative matrix. Thus, saliva is already used in several countries for screening prevalent drugs such as amphetamines, 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), cocaine, cannabis, opiates and benzodiazepines. Despite many benefits reported with saliva analyses, the establishment of a good correlation between salivary and plasmatic levels remains a challenge in interpreting toxicological results. Can saliva become an alternative to the usual biological matrices and/or a complement in cases of drug-impaired driving? A critical analysis with Bayesian treatments of data is addressed through this article in order to promote a reflection on this proposed drug screening methodology.