All that You Need to Know About Mouth Swab Drug Test

All participants in different sports must undergo a specific drug test before participating in any international sports event or Olympics. Drug tests can be performed in several ways.

One of the quickest ways of detecting the presence of drugs in the human body is through a mouth swab drug test. DrugTestKitUSA can offer several ways to detect drugs and alcohol in the system of an individual through a mouth swab.

What can this drug test detect?

This test can help to detect the presence of the drugs mentioned below in a person’s system:

• Alcohol
• Amphetamines
• Barbiturates
• Benzodiazepines
• Cocaine
• Methamphetamine
• Opioids
• Phencyclidine (PCP)
• Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which is a compound in cannabis

How does this test work?

The package comes with a tiny plastic container that has up to 12 test strips clearly visible on the front of the apparatus. Within the container, fastened to the cover, is a sponge-tipped oral collecting swab. The following are the steps:

• Prior to the test, the tester will confirm that you have not consumed any food or liquids for at least ten minutes.

• To get the collection swab, remove the receptacle’s lip.
• After receiving the swab, you will be instructed to run its tip along your tongue, gums, and cheeks for a maximum of three minutes.
• After taking the sample, the tester will put it back in the container.

Saliva will be applied to each test strip by the swab. A change in color will signal a good or negative test result.

Is this method accurate?

According to a 2018 study in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology, most mouth swab drug tests boast an average accuracy of 97.5% or higher. Instant oral fluid kits are less accurate than lab testing, emphasizing the importance of a confirmation test following a positive result. 

No tests, including laboratory ones, are 100% accurate typically, urine and blood tests offer greater accuracy than oral swab drug tests.

Pros and cons of this drug test

There are a few benefits offered by this drug test, which include:

• Cost-effective
• Fast speed of testing
• Difficult to tamper with the samples
• Painless for the individual

There are a few disadvantages too. These include:

• This test can only detect the presence of drugs within 5 to 48 hours, which is much shorter than in blood or urine samples.
• Only a trained person can ensure that the sample offered is not contaminated.
• In some cases, a dry mouth can make sample-taking more difficult.

Conclusion

Mouth swab drug tests, while widely used for their cost-effectiveness, rapid results, and resistance to tampering, have limitations. Their detection window of 5 to 48 hours is shorter than blood or urine tests. The need for a trained professional to ensure uncontaminated samples and challenges posed by a dry mouth are notable drawbacks. 

Despite these limitations, the method remains valuable for quick screening, emphasizing the importance of confirmation tests and recognizing that no testing method, including laboratory ones, achieves absolute accuracy.