What You Should Know About Saliva Testing
Saliva testing offers a non-invasive, highly accurate way to detect and measure levels of hormones, drugs and signs of illness in subjects. It's an increasingly popular option because it is convenient and safe for many different testing requirements. How do saliva tests work and how effective are they? Learn how saliva testing can provide trusted solutions for medical analysis requirements.
What Is Saliva Testing?
A saliva test requires patients to collect saliva by spitting in a plastic tube or by saturating a cotton swab in the mouth. Oral fluid samples can enable the measurement of various hormones, substances and viral materials. Simple and non-invasive, it's an option that works well for patients because it allows them to collect samples in the privacy of a home or office quickly and comfortably.
What Can Be Detected in a Saliva Test?
Saliva tests offer versatile solutions for several different types of testing. Typically, the tests can identify substances ranging from 24 to 48 hours old in saliva samples. Medical personnel can use saliva tests to identify, measure and analyze:
Saliva testing offers a non-invasive, highly accurate way to detect and measure levels of hormones, drugs and signs of illness in subjects. It's an increasingly popular option because it is convenient and safe for many different testing requirements. How do saliva tests work and how effective are they? Learn how saliva testing can provide trusted solutions for medical analysis requirements.
What Is Saliva Testing?
A saliva test requires patients to collect saliva by spitting in a plastic tube or by saturating a cotton swab in the mouth. Oral fluid samples can enable the measurement of various hormones, substances and viral materials. Simple and non-invasive, it's an option that works well for patients because it allows them to collect samples in the privacy of a home or office quickly and comfortably.
What Can Be Detected in a Saliva Test?
Saliva tests offer versatile solutions for several different types of testing. Typically, the tests can identify substances ranging from 24 to 48 hours old in saliva samples. Medical personnel can use saliva tests to identify, measure and analyze:
- Drugs, including methamphetamine, PCP, marijuana, cocaine, opioids and amphetamine
- Hormones such as cortisol, estrogen and progesterone
- Viral materials
The Benefits of Saliva Testing
Saliva tests offer several benefits over other forms of testing, such as nasal swabs and blood tests. Some key advantages include:
- Non-invasive: Saliva testing is more comfortable and convenient for patients.
- Accurate: Saliva tests provide accurate results and can allow for enzyme analysis.
- Cost-effective: Lab processing of saliva tests requires less expensive equipment and operations.
- Fast: Because saliva collection is so simple, it is much easier to complete than drawing blood or other options for analysis.
Saliva testing is highly effective for measuring circulating substances in the body. Modern technology is standardized and designed to be highly sensitive to measure substances found in saliva accurately. For instance, unlike blood, saliva contains hormone concentrations that are largely free and biologically active, meaning the samples are more relevant for clinical analysis than total hormone measurements.
With proper methodology and sensitive instruments, researchers and analysts can obtain highly accurate results from this non-invasive collection option.
Find Testing Solutions From Mercedes Scientific
At Mercedes Scientific, we offer an extensive inventory of medical supplies to meet medical testing, procedural and other operational needs. If you're interested in further exploring our solutions, we're here to help. Explore our available products today!