Journal of analytical toxicology
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Oral fluid drug testing of chronic pain patients. II. Comparison of paired oral fluid and urine specimens.
A clinical study was conducted to compare the use of oral fluid to urine for compliance monitoring of pain patients. Patients (n = 133) undergoing treatment for chronic pain at four clinics participated in the study and provided paired oral fluid and urine specimens. Oral fluid specimens were collected with Quantisal(TM) saliva collection devices immediately following urine collection. ⋯ Cohen's Kappa value was 0.64, indicating "substantial" agreement. The primary exceptions to agreement were the lower detection rates for hydromorphone, oxymorphone, and benzodiazepines in oral fluid compared to urine. The authors conclude that, overall, oral fluid tests produced comparable results to urine tests with some minor differences in detection rates for different drug classes.