This is one of the oldest myths about saliva oral drug test kits and processes. In fact mouthwash immediately before a saliva oral drug test kit could invalidate the reading, however since you have to wait for 5 minutes before testing this is not an issue. It is essential that nothing be ingested or eaten by the individual to be tested for a minimum of five minutes before administering the test. This includes gum, lozenges, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, or any type of liquids including water, coffee or soda. Will a saliva oral drug test be accurate for all types of drugs? A saliva oral drug test is just like a urine drug test in that they are designed to test for a specific spectrum of drugs. There are some single drug test kits and some that test for more than one drug. Since any drug test only tests for specific drugs, it is important to know what drug your want to test for. Many home users such as parents or guardians as well as businesses prefer to use the six panel test that will include readings for marijuana, cocaine, PCP, methamphetamines, amphetamines and opiates. Like a urine drug test the saliva oral drug test may also detect prescription medications that fall into some of these categories. For example, if the individual tested was on some type of prescription amphetamine, such as some ADHD medications, the test would indicate positive. It is important to know what prescription medications the subject may be taking and check to make sure they won't cause a positive result that may lead to misunderstanding the test results. Do saliva oral drug test kits need to be kept refrigerated? Saliva oral drug test kits or strips come in pre-packaged sealed foil type pouches that do not need to be kept refrigerated. This means that they can easily be taken to any testing area without any concerns for managing and maintaining a specific temperature. All test also have a control line that will appear, usually at the top of the results window. If the control line does not appear on the test the results should be ignored and the test completed again. The control line should always appear on every test to indicate that the test has not been damaged or invalidated. Do I have to have special training to administer a saliva oral drug test? No, there is no specific training required to administer a saliva oral drug test. Most businesses, companies or agencies tend to use someone that is certified only in the event that someone may challenge the test in a court of law. As long as the test are CLIA waived, which means they have been approved for use of the general public, there is no requirement for specific types of training and they are approved for use and considered valid and reliable as long as the instructions are correctly followed.

In the United States urine drug test requirements are common both pre-employment and during employment in most types of private companies and public agencies. This is especially true in employment where lives are at stake if someone was to be impaired or under the influence of alcohol or a non-approved or permitted drug. In general anyone driving, operating or working on any type of automobile or machinery will be subject to both pre-employment and random drug tests. In addition rehabilitation center staff, police departments, military departments, pilots and airline crews, prison workers and inmates and even schools are now using some type of urine drug test if there is a suspicion of use. In addition random drug tests may be held at any time if they are a term of continued employment with any type of business, company or organization. Is there a way to cheat a urine drug test? Depending on the substance being tested for the answer is a qualified yes, at least in theory. In reality most urine drug test kits will have an adulteration test that checks to make sure that the urine has not been altered in any form or with any type of chemical or commonly found substance. In general these tests will also test for specific gravity, which means that if some drinks a huge amount of water to dilute their urine to try to pass a test it will catch the dilution and signal a problem with the sample. The individual can then be monitored and tested again after the required number of hours without additional water consumption. There are products available that can mask specific drugs in the body, however in general these products are very expensive and not easily accessible on an ongoing basis. Random drug tests that are administered at different times of the day, different days of the week and to different individuals without advance notice will minimize anyone's ability the cheat a urine drug test. What is the major drawback to using a urine drug test kit? Perhaps the most challenging aspect of using a urine drug test as opposed to a saliva or oral test is that you have to specific facilities for the employee or individual to use. In addition if you want to fully monitor the test subject a person has to be able to supervise the urine collection, meaning that both a male and female tester have to be present. For some individuals with bladder problems or other conditions, providing a urine sample can be a problem. Some people have a lot of difficulty providing a urine sample on demand, which can increase stress and lead to challenges for the individual when their time to test occurs. A urine drug test kit is easy to use with simple, step by step instructions for administration and interpretation of the results. In the case of a faint or uncertain response, which is very rare, another test can be administered as soon as possible to very the results. Since they are relatively low cost this is not an issue for most employers, businesses and organizations.