Buccal Swab 

Buccal is the "Cheek Swab" Test. A buccal swab is soft and resembles a large Q-Tip. It is used to collect a sample of cheek cells by simply rubbing the inside of the cheeks. It is as accurate as blood, as the DNA is the same. A person should, however, abstain from drinking coffee for a few hours before taking a sample, and smokers should rinse and brush their cheeks with a toothbrush before swabbing.

How to collect buccal swab:

The inside of the cheek of each person being tested is gently wiped with a soft sterile swab. Swabbing a cheek is a safe, easy way to collect the sample. Each sample is then sealed in its own envelope, labeled for identification purposes and sent to our lab for processing.

Except for infants and very young children, each person collects his or her own samples; the collection process is simple. Buccal sampling takes about 45 minutes for 3 people, with an additional 60-90 minutes for the swabs to dry.

Blood Collection:

If you're considering the blood option, it is quite important that you contact your physician for the collection of blood samples for children under 8 years of age. We offer this option because it is much faster and easier for you to collect. The procedure involves a small lancet that is used to lightly pierce a finger (most don’t even feel it). A small drop of blood is then transferred to a collection card – that’s it.