Oral fluid drug tests have provided employers and employees with a more dignified, and safer, method of checking for drug use. Thanks to advances in technology, we have a safer and accurate method of checking for drugs in the workplace, particularly at short notice and in almost any workplace setting. Previously, urine samples would be required and this was not a time or cost efficient method due to the time constraints of collecting and sending samples, refrigeration and packing of the samples and the cost of the sample kits themselves. Then there was also the fact that some samples were difficult, if not impossible to collect, and the only alternative was to wait it out, this has been classified as the “bashful bladder syndrome”. Urine sample collection also was a time of awkwardness and embarrassment as well as outright mortification for some. And every employee would have to cooperate. Employers had to have restroom facilities available for the duration of the testing procedures or have the employees go off-site for additional testing which would always necessitate a higher cost to both employee and employer as then you would have to factor in another transportation cost. In addition, the privacy of the employees was non-existent, due to the nature of the test. Oral drug tests are able to provide quick and reliable results and have proven to be quite cost efficient. The cost of the kits is even cheaper than those for urine collection.

The drugs which can be tested for include THC, cocaine and heroin, alcohol, Ecstasy, barbiturates and amphetamines. These oral fluid collection tests may actually be superior at determining opiate usage than the urine test. This is the only test that shows whether a person is under the influence of a drug that he has just taken. This type of testing also has the added feature of being able to ascertain drug usage within the last 6 hours, something other tests could not do. The only single preparation a testee needs is to refrain from any eating and drinking for at least 1 hour prior to having the oral swab taken. Most employees prefer this test as it involves merely a swab between the cheek and lower gum which allows oral saliva to be collected onto the cotton padding of the swab. These tests can be used in any remote job locations. Employers can always choose to hire someone on the spot, thanks to the efficiency and accuracy of these tests, if they wish. There do not have to be any restroom facilities available at the test site. No private rooms are ever needed and no private monitor is necessary to document the authenticity of the oral saliva collection procedure. There are some of these oral fluid collection test kits which will allow the testing of multiple people at one time. Technology, time management and cost effectiveness rolled up into one efficient kit. These tests are also available for home use.

The reliability and accuracy of these tests are in the 98-99% range and they are quite easy to read by those who are charged with administering and documenting the tests. No longer is there any worry about being splashed with bodily fluids and there is no cleaner method available for collecting a body fluid specimen. The employee is able to maintain his composure and dignity during the entire testing procedure and he does not feel violated, as many did under the constant observation during the urine tests. One of the better features of this test is the ability to isolate any of the target drugs that have just been taken. In the past, there were many stories about people that would actually take urine tests while high and yet the urine test would be clean because the drug was too new within the body to show up. With the use of the urine collection tests, the collection could only be done after the drugs had sufficient time to metabolize in the body. It was only after the drug metabolization had begun and the body had begun to excrete that the older tests were able to isolate traces of them. This is not the case any longer thanks to the advent of the new oral fluid collection technology. There is no loss of man hours due to waiting for the completion of a test or to get the results, it takes only a minute ,or so ,to do an oral test, and 10 minutes to see the results. There is no way of adulterating, falsifying or confusing this test. For many employers it is a wonderful innovation, for which there truly was a need.

Oral fluid tests can sometimes be hampered by a lack of oral saliva, and recent food or drink that has been ingested can also have an effect on the drug quantification. But these are quite small negatives. These tests are only geared, unfortunately, for the major types of abused drugs: opiates, cocaine and heroin, barbituates, alcohol and THC. They can only tell recent drug use. Which is one reason, their scope includes the more prevalent, illegal drugs, and the tests can not give any indications of any past drug histories. These tests can and do clearly show how greatly improved today’s drug testing method truly is.

Although the number of drugs that an oral fluids test can check for is relatively small, this one small negative is offset by the numerous positive factors that oral fluid collecting kits have brought to the table. In the past, the procedures surrounding a urine drug screen did often cause humiliation and anger or resentment. An oral test manages to get the job done and over with almost as soon as the person can blink. And any employer would far rather know if an employee is actually using drugs at work, as opposed to knowing that an employee had drank some beer at his home during his time off. This test makes a great deal sense when it is applied and used in a proper setting. These tests may soon become the gold standard in the majority of workplace settings, particularly in settings where it is imperative that the employees are sober and alert, such as in the trucking or heavy machinery fields.