Alcohol saliva test kits come with portability that enables them to be used at patient’s bedside, in the field, home and even job sites. The alcohol saliva test provides a quick and reliable measurement of alcohol content in the blood system. Salivary glands that are found in the mouth provide a fluid substance that keeps the mouth moist. Ethanol which finds way into the mouth through beer, spirits or wine drinking is easily detected in the saliva. Recent studies have revealed that saliva glands receive very high blood flow compared to other parts of the body which concentrates a mixture of saliva and ethanol in the glands. In fact, studies show that this saliva alcohol concentration is more than 7% higher than its concentration in serum or plasma.
The alcohol saliva test is a non invasive and painless method of alcohol testing that involves simple analysis of saliva sample. In addition to being used for voluntary compliance from persons concerned alcohol saliva test is very applicable among unresponsive patients and uncooperative individuals. The testing kit contains a swab that is cotton tipped and you only need to run the moistened swab in to the person’s mouth to get saliva sample for testing. Once you have the sample, proceed to perform the test. Basically, alcohol saliva test kit has an indentation or a well for that matter which receives the sample. The kit will also have some control spot that shows if you have enough saliva collection to enhance accuracy of the test results.
Through capillary action, the saliva sample is absorbed into the reactant which is usually enzyme based. Depending on the specific manufacturer of the kit, there will be some directions that you should follow in order to obtain accurate and more reliable results. Alcohol saliva test requires that you wait for about two minutes and then read the numeric results as they appear on the scale. In comparison to blood alcohol testing, results obtained through alcohol saliva test shows a correlation value of 0.98, highlighting the great levels of accuracy associated with this method of alcohol testing. In order to obtain results that you can confidently rely on to make sound decisions, you must follow directions and terms of use strictly. For instance, there are storage conditions of the kit that you must observe otherwise you are likely to get false results. In fact, its not unusual for improper timing and other compounds similar to alcohol to tamper with the results. However, alcohol saliva test kits guarantee quality assurance if you used properly.
