Businesses today rely on drug screenings to help them find the right employees, keep their workplace drug free, and more. But there are several different kinds of drug screens that can be done, and it’s often difficult to know just what is the right one for your situation. One option is an oral drug test, and it’s easy to understand more about this type of drug test and whether or not it’s the right option for your business.
The oral drug test is a test that uses a swab to gather saliva from the subject and then tests that saliva for the presence of drugs. An oral drug test can check for a wide variety of different drugs, and the most common type of swab test is the standard five-panel screening that tests for THC, cocaine, opiates, and more. However, those who order the test can adjust the drugs being tested for – though certain drugs may not show up in the saliva at all.
A swab test is very affordable, costing less than the other types of tests available. It is also easy to administer. But, it will only be able to detect the presence of drugs if they were used within the last 6 to 12 hours. Drugs done days or weeks earlier won’t show up in these screenings, and that is the primary question that you need to ask yourself regarding whether or not this is the right test for your situation.
Essentially, an oral drug test is a good call if you need to identify if someone has done drugs within the last few hours – they’re good for random drug tests or for testing done after an accident to determine if the subject was under the influence when the accident occurred and if the drugs were potentially to blame for the accident. They’re not a good option if the test is being done for a pre-employment screening. Consider this when deciding whether or not you need to use the oral drug test or some other option.
