Oral Swab Drug Test

An oral swab drug test is generally used to detect any recent drug use. People choose to administer this type of test to avoid the privacy issues associated with urine tests, and also to reduce the risk of sample adulteration that are also common with urine tests. The test itself is relatively simple, but each collected sample can only be used to test for one drug; whereas a sample of actual saliva could be used to test for several drugs.

While an oral swab drug test may not be able to screen for long-term use of a drug or drugs it can detect use immediately. The majority of the five most common drugs tested for will show up on this test up to 3 days after ingestion, with the exception of THC (marijuana). The oral swab drug test can only detect marijuana up to 24 hours after being used. When taken at a laboratory you will be with a lab employee during the whole process. Not for lack of trust but rather because they have to give you specific instructions to collect the sample this way. Usually during the oral swab drug test the lab employee will confirm that you don’t have anything in your mouth such as chewing gum or candy. They will then ask you to place a pad/swab between your cheeks and gums; you will then rub the pad against the gum line for at least 2 minutes.

There are several oral swab drug test kits that are available for home testing. One of the most popular one is the FDA approved Intercept. If an employer or other organization wanted to forgo a traditional lab test, Intercept would likely be the test used. Parents with concerns of drug issues with their kids can easily find this and other drug test kits at their local pharmacy or online. Reading the results of an oral swab drug test kits is not difficult at all if you decide to use one at home. If the kit you purchased comes with only one parameter and a line appears you can relax, as no drugs have been detected. The same holds true for a kit with multiple parameters. Although it is always best to read the instructions of the kit purchased. There are also digital oral swab drug test kits available to take out the guesswork when reading the results.

Though fairly new, this method of testing is steadily gaining favor with employers, schools, insurance agencies, among other organizations that need to set and enforce drug-free guidelines. Since they are inexpensive and rather convenient the market will likely continue to add to and improve on the products already out there for the oral swab drug test.