David Wong, a researcher at UCLA's School of Dentistry, told colleagues attending the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science that saliva testing can detect a wide range of compounds in the body. "Saliva is really a reflection of our body and circulation and blood," he said.

Dental researchers have used saliva to accurately predict the formation of cavities, and the federal government recently granted $57 million for research into saliva testing. Researchers have identified 310 proteins in saliva that can be measured to screen people for diseases like oral cancer or other problems.

Low levels of any substance found in the blood or urine also shows up in saliva, and police in Europe and Australia are already using roadside saliva tests to detect drug-impaired drivers. More U.S. businesses also are using saliva tests like the Intercept screening tools from OraSure Technologies. "This is certainly a more dignified approach to drug testing," said OraSure CFO Ron Spair

The detection window for saliva testing is one to two days, and researchers say that they have found no masking agents that are effective in distorting saliva-test results.

Addiction Research and Treatment Corp. of Brooklyn, N.Y., uses the Intercept saliva tests to detect HIV and drug use among treatment clients. Beny Primm, the executive director of the program, says the results have been "fantastic."

"You know it's a pain ... to line people up and get them to do a urine test and have them pee in that bottle," Primm said. "And it's embarrassing, to say the least."

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