How to Collect Oral Cells and/or Oral Microbiome?
Figure 1. An illustration of oral cavity structure. (anatomy-medicine.com)
1. The subject should avoid eating, drinking, smoking, or chewing gum 30 min prior to sampling. Rinse mouth with clean water before sampling.
2. Label collection tubes (not included in MicroCollect™ Sterile Pack Swabs).
3. Carefully remove the swab from the package with gloves on, and avoid touching swab tip with gloves or against any surface.
4. Use the buccal swabs to rub up and down against the targeted sampling sites vigorously with sufficient pressure. Collection methods vary in details according to different sampling sites:
| Sampling Sites |
Swabbing Notice |
| Tongue Dorsum |
Swab 1 cm2 of the center of the tongue for 5 sec. |
| Hard Palate |
Swab the entire hard palate for 10 sec. |
| Buccal Mucosa |
Swab the entire area of both left and right buccal mucosa for 10 seconds each. Be careful not to touch the teeth. |
| Keratinized Gingiva |
Swab the maxillary anterior attached gingiva for 10 sec. |
| Palatine Tonsils |
Swab left and right palatine tonsils for 5 seconds each, concentrating on fissures and pits. |
5. Carefully remove the swab from the oral cavity, being careful not to touch swab tip against teeth, lips, or other surfaces.
6. Carefully break the swab on the indentation position and make the swab head fall into the collection tube, making sure the sample is well submerged under the rinsing resolution.
7. Close the tube tightly with the cap.
8. Seal the tube into a biospecimen bag for preservation or shipment.
Sample Collection Suggestions
- Operate in a clean environment.
- The specimens should be frozen then shipped on dry-ice.
- The specimens should be handed in as soon as possible, the time consumption should be NO MORE THAN 7 days.
