Oral Drug Tests

Oral drug tests have provided employers and employees with a more venerable, and safer, way of testing the usage of drug. Oral drug tests have become an ideal method for drug screening at both home as well as workplace. And to the advantage, it is capable of detecting drug intake of few earlier days and it is as accurate as urine drug tests.

Why Oral Drug Test is Preferred?

There are various drug testing methods, like hair testing blood testing; urine testing, oral drug testing is considered as most cost effective, easy at collecting samples and producing results. As in case of urine drug test, sample can not be collected at any place at any time, due to the time constraints of collecting and sending samples, refrigeration and packing of the samples and the high cost of the sample kits themselves. Sometimes it is difficult and even sometimes impossible to collect them and the only choice is to wait, moreover, people feel shy to undergo urine drug testing. But there are no such problems with oral drug testing. Even hair or blood testing are considered the best, oral drug tests that uses saliva samples offer very good, quick and reliable results and is proved as affordable test. And, due to the fact that testing method is an easy mouth swab, there is no pain and no discomfiture involved which could be in blood or urine testing. Oral drug tests are really good at screening how recently a person has intake drugs, or whether he is under influence of drugs.

Oral drug tests have an added property to determine to detect some drugs within 6 hours which other drugs could not. This is predominantly crucial in situations like traffic encounters, where police officer may wish to figure out that the driver consumed cocaine just before the accident, and in that case, this would not be important that someone may have used cocaine a month before. Oral drug home tests kits are even very cheaper, and chosen by employers, educational institutions, sports committee, law panels, etc to ensure healthy working environment, drug free education, cheating in games, post-incident testing respectively.

Types of Drugs Tested and their Detection Time

The drugs which can be tested by oral drug test include
Marijuana (THC) & Hashish: - One to 24 hours
Cocaine and Heroin:- From ingestion to 96 hours
Alcohol:-
Methamphetamine and Ecstasy:- From ingestion to 72 hours
Barbiturates:- From ingestion to 72 hours
Amphetamines:- Immediately
Phencyclidine (PCP):- Immediately


Shortcomings of Oral Drug Test

Oral drug tests can sometimes be hindered by a lack of saliva, and recent food or drink that has been ingested can also have an effect on the drug quantification. Still these are quite small shortcomings. But the issue is oral drug test can tell about recent usage but cannot give any indications of any past intake. Not all the drugs are identified with Oral Drug Testing. DOT Federal Mandated Drug Testing has not accepted Oral Drug Testing.

Aaron is a freelance write who often writes about health and drug related topic such as oral drug test