Mouth Swab Drug Test

Mouth swab drug test is being widely used in various parts of the world. The majority among the users are employers and parents. Employers use the drug test at the time of recruitment of new employees, as well as, to keep a check on the already working ones. Parents make use of the mouth swab drug test to monitor the habits of their children. Go through the following account to gather some mouth swab drug test facts. Read on drug addiction.

How does a Mouth Swab Drug Test Work?

Saliva is a major part of the oral fluids produced by a human. A mouth swab drug test uses saliva to give result. This is why, it is also known as saliva drug test. When you undergo a mouth drug test, you will be given a swab. It has a brush and many bristles on it. You will be asked to place the swab in your mouth between the gums. You will have to keep it there for a couple of minutes. When it is completely wet, you will be asked to take it out. The person conducting the test will put the wet swab into a drug testing kit. The kit will show a positive result if you have taken drug in the past three to four days.

Many times, the saliva for drug testing may be obtained by asking you to spit on the swab or directly on a drug testing kit. Hence, it is also called spit test. The drugs detected by a mouth swab drug test are cocaine, opiates, phencycline, amphetimines, cannabinoids, etc. When the kit absorbs the saliva, a colored control line appears. One or more lines indicates a certain type of drug is present. If it's a multiple drug array, each drug is represented by a different color. If you were looking for information on how long does it take to pass a mouth swab drug test, then you should know that the entire testing takes only a couple of minutes, from sample collection to giving the result. Therefore, you would take about 10-30 minutes, at the maximum, to pass a mouth drug test.

What are the Pros and Cons of a Mouth Swab Drug Test?

There are many advantages of a mouth swab drug test. The sample can be collected on the spot. It does not involve any modesty issues which is obvious in an urine drug test. Sample collection under supervision prevents contamination of the sample by switching, tampering or dilution. It gives fast and accurate result, which is easy to read also. A mouth swab drug test has certain disadvantages as well. It does not tell a long history of drug use. It can give information of only a recent usage. Typically the mouth drug test detection period is only 24-48 hours. It may detect a wide range of drug types but it misses some very commonly used drugs such as alcohol or inhalants. Also, a mouth swab drug test does not allow many tests to be performed on the same sample.


Many people ask a common question 'how to pass a mouth swab drug test'. The best answer to such a question is to stay away from any kind of prohibited drug. This way you will never get caught by a drug tester. Preventing yourself from drug usage will also prevent you from many unnecessary worries and issues. Therefore, always lead a drug free, respectable and honorable life.