Buccal Swabs?
The routine use of blood samples is on the decline for paternity testing. Buccal swabs are rapidly becoming the DNA specimen of choice. The DNA testing specimen is collected by gently rubbing the cheeks inside the mouth with long swabs similar to Q-tips. The buccal cells that come off in the process require no refrigeration or preservatives and do not need immediate shipping to the paternity testing laboratory. In addition to the easy collection, the DNA specimen is useful after years of storage. The DNA tests utilized in our paternity laboratory are the exact same DNA tests as used when testing blood for DNA identification of specimens.

Buccal swab DNA specimens are not affected by bacteria, toothpaste, chewing tobacco or other tobacco products, lipstick, or nursing (mother’s milk). Bacterial DNA does not affect the testing, as bacteria do not contain the DNA sequences examined in the test. No fasting is required prior is specimen collection.

The DNA paternity testing results in all cases to date are either clear exclusions or probabilities of paternity — 99%.

For further information, contact American Medical Services at
1-866-ARE-U-DAD (273-8323).

Buccal Swabs by American Medical Services
Our paternity testing laboratories have been using Buccal swabs as a DNA specimen collection method since 1993. Currently, of the more than 100,000 parentage testing cases processed at our labs annually, over 85% of the specimens are collected using the Buccal swab.

State of the art DNA technology using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) requires very little sample, allowing the use of such non invasive paternity specimen collection methods such as the Buccal swabs

How does that work?
This non-invasive DNA specimen collection procedure uses four cotton swabs that are similar to ordinary Q-tips to collect epithelial cells by stroking the lining of the inner cheek. These cells contain the DNA required to perform parentage testing. The paternity testing procedures utilized on DNA extracted from buccal cells are the same procedures as performed on DNA extracted from white blood cells.

The numerous advantages of the buccal swab collection procedure include

• The buccal swab collection procedure uses no needles and is considered non-invasive.
• There is little or no biohazardous waste.
• This procedure permits specimen retention for future testing.
• There is no age restriction. Specimens may be obtained from newborn infants.
• There is no rescheduling due to difficult venipunctures.
• This is an ideal alternative for IV drug abusers and those who have had bone marrow transplants or transfusions.
• There is no additional cost for buccal swab specimen collection and processing. Buccal swabs are color coded to help ensure accurate chain-of-custody collection

Paternity Testing Procedures

At the Collection Site
All test participants are asked to present government-issued identification (such as a Driver’s License) and to complete a Client Identification and Consent Form. The legal guardian must sign this form for test participants who are minors. The sample collector takes fingerprints and photographs of all test participants.

Buccal Swab Collection
Samples for a DNA test, such as a paternity test, are routinely collected using the painless and simple buccal swab—similar to a cotton-tipped swab, but made of the special material Dacron®. The swab is rubbed against the inside cheek of the test participant, and loose cheek cells adhere to the swab. Unlike regular cotton swabs, Dacron® provides a consistent surface for sample collection and DNA extraction.

DNA Test in the Laboratory
The sample collector sends the swabs to the laboratory in a sealed, tamper-evident package. When samples arrive in our laboratory, our staff checks to see if the package seal is intact. Each sample is recorded into the database. When all the samples for a paternity test case have arrived, the DNA test begins, which follows the following five steps:

• Samples from each person are divided in two for Dual Process™. From this point on, two independent laboratory teams take the samples through the DNA testing process.
• DNA is extracted from the buccal swabs and purified.
• The extracted DNA is added to a special chemical mix for the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), a process that targets 16 specific locations in the DNA (called loci) and makes billions of copies of each location.
• The products of PCR are analyzed to create a DNA profile, a genetic equivalent of a fingerprint for each tested party.
• The child’s DNA profile is compared with the alleged father’s, and statistical analysis is performed to determine the probability of paternity. A 0% probability of paternity represents an exclusion (the alleged father is not the biological father) and at least a 99.99% probability represents an inclusion in a standard trio (the alleged father is the biological father).

Paternity Test Report
The paternity test results are typically ready within 5 working days or so.