NCJ Number
179390
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 26 Issue: 10 Dated: October 1999 Pages: 122-124
Date Published
October 1999
Length
3 pages
Annotation
OralScreen allows users to perform on-the-spot tests for drugs of abuse on a saliva specimen; the simplicity and cost-effectiveness of the device is likely to have a far-reaching impact that can only be guessed at today.
Abstract
The OralScreen test is so simple to perform that a person with no medical training can easily collect a saliva specimen and get an accurate reading for the presence of drugs in a person's system. Saliva is collected through a straw-like tube that is placed inside the subject's mouth for 60 seconds. The person being tested does not need to do anything other than allow the device to remain in the mouth for a minute. The tester then slides a small hood down the collector and squeezes four drops of saliva onto the test device. Within 15 minutes, the oral fluids migrate up a membrane that contains an antigen for the particular drug that is suspected. If the drug is present, nothing changes on the OralScreen. If the drug is not present, a line develops. The absence of a line confirms the presence of the drug. This article discusses the use of OralScreen -- which is manufactured by Avitar Inc., of Canton, Massachusetts -- in roadside testing, corrections, police work, and probation.