Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19 testing capacity has improved immensely across the United States, with more than 226 million tests collected as of December 2020. Types of tests include the nose swab COVID test and mouth swab COVID test. Widespread COVID-19 testing helps prevent the spread of the virus, keeping you and your community safe.
A saliva drug test is a drug screening test that detects trace amounts of substances in someone's saliva to determine if drugs or alcohol are present in their system. Saliva drug testing is also known as oral swab drug testing, oral drug testing, or swab drug testing.
A common method of collection is swabbing the inside of the cheek or under the tongue using a swab stick with a sponge or absorbent pad. Other collection methods include spitting, priming and aspiration to collect saliva for testing.
Oral swab drug testing may be performed in the field, including at an office or accident scene, or at a specialized laboratory or sample collection site.
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The person being screened may be asked to refrain from eating or drinking anything for 10 minutes prior to testing to ensure better accuracy. Food, beverages, medications and mouthwash can interfere with accurate saliva drug test results.
Samples will be analyzed immediately at the site or sent to the laboratory to determine if traces of the controlled substance are present in the individual.
If the initial screening yields a non-negative test result, a more sensitive confirmatory screening will be performed in the laboratory and a thorough medical review may be performed to ensure accuracy. This step is important. The person being tested may be using a prescription or over-the-counter drug that resulted in a false-positive drug test. The Medical Review Officer (MRO) may verify the medical records provided by the individual being tested and may contact their pharmacy or physician's office for prescription verification.
Oral swab drug tests are relatively accurate - but only when used correctly. Oral swabs are also usually administered by an administrator or under supervision, which makes it more difficult for the person being tested to tamper with the sample.
The accuracy of instant oral fluid testing kits, instant oral fluid testing devices and laboratory tests may vary. For example, one study found that a mobile saliva testing system was 97.5% accurate compared to saliva testing performed in a laboratory.
Accuracy may also vary depending on the method of sample collection, the type and concentration of the drug, and whether the saliva stream is stimulated. For example, oral fluid generators such as citric acid candy or chewing gum had 2- to 6-fold lower codeine concentrations, methamphetamine had 2- to 4-fold lower concentrations, and cocaine had a 5-fold lower concentration.
Immediate field drug testing kits and devices can provide results within minutes, while lab-analyzed samples can typically yield results within 1-3 days.
Depending on the provider, a presumptive positive screen may be subject to laboratory-based confirmatory testing and a review process that requires an additional 2-3 days.
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