Oral Fluid versus Urine

Why Choose Oral Fluid over Urine Drug Testing?

Oral Fluid testing can detect drugs immediately after the most recent use. Oral Fluid testing can also detect drugs up to 4 days later. Urine drug testing is often unable to detect usage in the first 3 to 6 hours after use.

Oral Fluid drug testing combined with our high-precision testing instruments offers many benefits over other types of testing methods. Click on the advantages to the right to compare Oral Fluid drug tests to urine drug tests. Consider these advantages and how they will benefit your organization, workplace, office or hospital.

Advantages

Early Detection Window

Oral Fluid testing has the ability to detect drug use within the first few hours. In some cases, Oral Fluid testing will return a positive result immediately after drug usage. Oral Fluid testing can detect most drugs 4 days after last use. The early detection time is also very useful in dosage monitoring.

Deeper Insight into Drug Levels

For both urine and Oral Fluid testing, all samples undergo an initial immunoassay screening process. This results in either a positive or negative result. This is informative, but this step may return false positives as a result of cross-reactions.

Immunoassay screenings do not provide an individual identification of each drug, which is why Forensic Fluids Laboratories uses Liquid Chromatography – Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) confirmation to ensure that the testing is entirely accurate.

Every sample testing positive during the immunoassay screening process at Forensic Fluids is then confirmed using the most sensitive drug testing method available.  This process identifies the “chemical fingerprint” of the substance.

Faster Turnaround

We understand the need for quick and reliable results.  We lead the industry in turnaround time by reporting negative tests within 3 to 8 hours of receiving the sample, while positive samples are reported within 18 to 24 hours.  The simple collection process takes less than 5 minutes and can be collected anywhere and anytime, making social distancing possible. Using the most technologically advanced tools and an incredibly simple collection process, our turnaround times are the fastest in the industry.

Strong Correlation to Impairment

Oral Fluid tests measure the compound of a drug known as the parent compound: the psychoactive element of the drug. Detection of the parent compound in Oral Fluid indicates that the drug has entered the blood stream.  Higher levels of the parent compound indicate higher levels of the drug contained within the body. This means that Oral Fluid levels can be used to measure impairment.

In contrast, urine tests do not measure the parent compound, they measure the by-product compounds known as “metabolites”, which do not correspond with impairment levels

Greater Integrity of Results

Oral Fluid samples are first screened using the immunoassay screen known as ELISA* . This tells us if the sample is positive or negative for any of the substances tested/requested.

If our screen indicates positive, the sample is tested again using LC/MS/MS**. It’s the most sophisticated, accurate and precise method available. LC/MS/MS is more accurate and 100 to 1,000 times more precise than Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). Forensic Fluids Laboratories uses the most technologically advanced equipment available! Read more about screening and confirmation.

* Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay
** Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Eliminate Tampering

Urine testing is incredibly easy to cheat, beat, or otherwise falsify! Such techniques involve adulterants that interfere with the test results. Donors may take advantage of the privacy required when collecting a urine sample, which is not the case with Oral Fluid.

Oral Fluid drug tests are administered under supervised observation, making cheating virtually impossible when properly conducted.

How do you cheat or beat an Oral Fluid drug test? The short answer is: you can’t, if it is done correctly.

A Better Collection Process

In minutes, a sample can be collected nearly anywhere! No third-party labs, additional scheduling, or special facilities are needed. Sensitive gender, observation, and privacy issues associated with urine collection are eliminated for everyone involved. The results have a strong correlation with a blood test, but without clinics, pain, or needles.

Urine and blood can be difficult and hazardous to handle. Regulatory agencies do not consider Oral Fluid a bio-hazard and is not subject to the same handling and disposal issues as urine and blood.

Oral Fluid vs. Urine Drug TestingComparative Study

This comparative study exemplifies the accuracy and dependability of Oral Fluid drug testing. It is important to note that the Oral Fluid positive rates are higher in most categories, with significantly more positives in Cocaine and Methamphetamines. (click to enlarge)

Source: Journal of Analytical Toxicology, Vol. 25, November/December 2002

Saliva THC vs. Urine THC – How Long?

In general, what is in the blood, is in the Saliva. If a drug is smoked, like Marijuana, residual THC may appear in the oral cavity for about 3 minutes after ingestion. This results in higher positive levels. The psychoactive effects of THC are seen for 3 to 5 hours after normal drug use (further effects for longer periods have been identified). The psychoactive compound is Δ-9 THC.

Saliva THC

Δ-9 THC is the parent compound. When found in Oral Fluid, this means possible impairment. The drug has entered the blood stream and is affecting the brain, thus affecting motor skills. Levels we have measured in Oral fluid in the lab range from 0.5ng/mL* and higher. These levels mean the parent compound is available to the brain. The higher the level, the more drug has been ingested…or the more recently the drug was used. Δ-9 THC has been measured in oral fluid up to 72 hours after smoking.

* 1 ng/mL = 1 part per billion

Urine THC

11-nor-9-carboxy-THC is the major metabolite found in urine. One dose of THC may be detected in urine for an average of 24 hours. In some peer-reviewed papers, the highest doses produced positive screens for up to 120 hours. However, most papers reporting an average of 26 to 33 hours. Urine excretion of THC doesn’t consistently decrease. As a result, urine screenings may fluctuate between negative and positive during the detection window.

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