Drug test mouth swab vs urine – when we compare different drug testing devices we first have to take an indepth look at what makes each of the methods unique. Although the urine drug test is preferred in most workplace and personal testing the mouth swab drug test fulfills a niche and certainly has some advantages of its own.
“At work” drug testing is becoming more and more of a regular occurance in everyday life as the opioid epidemic rages on. More and more people are getting exposed to drugs and the subsequent drug testing. Both testing methods we will cover today have been designed specifically in order to be quick and easy to use.
We will see if the choice between urine drug testing or mouth swabs are just personal preference or if there are significant advantages to using one or the other. While having this in mind it is important to remember that all drug testing devices are designed to accomplish specific tasks.
Whether they be dip cards, urine cups or testing strips each method is here to do a job.Without further ado let’s get into the topic of the day: “drug test mouth swab vs urine”.
Urine Drug tests
We’ll start off with the fan favourite testing tool. Urine drug testing tools are some of the most used drug screening tools. They are exceptionally easy to use and they are easy to come by, being affordable and widely available in most drug stores. This might be some of the core reasons behind their popularity.
Turning to how they test for drugs and how they are used, we can see that urine drug tests use several different “builds” to administer the tests. The most basic of these tests are urine drug testing strips. These strips are dipped into administered urine and they show, with a high accuracy rating, if there are any traces of drugs present.
Urine is also quite good at storing traces of drugs within it. Being able to store traces of drugs such as LSD and Cocaine for several days. It is also able to store traces of THC for up to 30 days once you have used Marijuana. These long periods of drug presence in your urine makes it the perfect testing method.
Aside from drug testing strips you will be able to find dip cards with several drug testing strips built in as well as drug testing cups. These devices offer a huge range of drug testing, giving you the ability to test for several drugs at the same time with the same amount of accuracy.
Mouth swab drug test
On the other side of our argument sit mouth swab drug tests, these tests are built to be accurate, functional and above all else easy to use on an everyday basis. They are able to test for several different drugs at once and they are quite reliable in this task .The main advantage of these tests is that they are less intrusive than their counterparts.
The main difference between urine drug tests and mouth swab tests is the detection time. Urine is able to store drugs for a long period while saliva is not as adept in doing this. Mouth swab drug tests are able to detect traces of drugs for only a couple of hours, 24 hour is usually their maximum.
Oral swab design and use also differs a fair amount from their counterpart, as these tests have to be administered, as the name suggests, with your mouth. Taking the cap off unveils a brush which you are supposed to rub the inside of your cheeks with. This process is considered a bit uncomfortable and can be a huge minus for mouth swabs.
You might be asking, why is it that urine is generally better at storing drug traces? This is because of the ph level that saliva contains. Or rather the fact that the ph level can be altered and even diluted to impact drug tests. Because of this it is estimated that around 20% or industries actually use these tests for their screening needs.
Mouth swab vs urine drug test
In a regular debate between proponents of these drug testing devices we would probably see several different arguments. However the most important thing is to consider what kind of workplace environment you have and what tests are best for what situation. As different situations will require different solutions.
Urine drug tests have so far produced more legally accepted results in courts across the country. This may give these tests a visible advantage but people usually prefer not to have to give urine samples for drug testing. Making the mouth swab drug test a more acceptable alternative to urine drug tests.
On the other hand the longer testing timeframes present in urine drug tests once again gives these tests a noticeable advantage. Mouth swabs are good for specific situations but urine tests are better at finding traces of drugs in the long term. If we were to judge the testing methods based on what we have said so far the clear winner would be the urine drug tests.
However it is never that easy with these kinds of topics. Even if these facts are all in place and true personal preference will win out at the end of the day. Oral drug tests are a more user friendly and acceptable drug testing experience in general. And if the tests are done often enough they can indeed provide the same results as the urine drug tests.
Conclusion
Personal use of both of these drug testing methods is advised if you are looking to figure out if there are any traces of drugs in your system. If there are drugs present in your system be sure to contact your local health services. If you are unsure how you have gotten in contact with drugs please contact the local law enforcement for your own safety!
