The World's Premier Home Paternity Testing Service

Sometimes patients ask us if we will perform DNA testing on samples other than buccal swab samples. For example, one woman writes:

I have an opportunity to test the person I think might be my son’s dad. This may be the only time I have this chance…My son is 13, almost 14, and has no idea who his father is—nor does the man. I would just like to know for medical reasons. I think hair is going to be hard to get, but what about cigarettes?

The preferred sample for paternity testing is the buccal swab sample, because it contains enough viable DNA for a paternity test. However, patients may consider using unusual samples when one of the parties they would like to test is deceased, missing, or otherwise unavailable for testing. To perform a DNA test on an unusual sample such as a cigarette butt, hair, or a toothbrush, we must first perform what is called a viability test. This test determines whether the sample contains sufficient DNA for testing.

If the viability test shows that the unusual sample does contain enough DNA, the sample can then be used in a DNA test. In the scenario above, for example, the cigarette butt could be used as the alleged father’s sample for a paternity test. To get the other samples needed for the test, we would send a free Beta Self-Collection™ Kit to the mother so she could collect her own and her son’s samples using buccal swabs.

On the other hand, the viability test could show that the sample does not contain sufficient DNA. At this point, the person who collected the unusual sample would have to consider other possible samples for use in a DNA test.

If you are in a similar situation and would like to learn more about unusual samples, please visit our Viability Testing page or call one of our knowledgeable testing specialists at 1-800-798-3810.

When you order a paternity test from Beta Paternity, your results will be presented in the form of a table that contains the DNA profiles of the tested parties and an interpretation section that explains the results of the statistical analyses performed on the profiles.

Let’s focus on the interpretation section. This is where you’ll find the answer you’ve been looking for.

The interpretation section of your paternity test results will include a Combined Paternity Index, a Probability of Paternity, and a short paragraph explaining whether or not the alleged father has been excluded as the biological father of the child.

The Combined Paternity Index and the Probability of Paternity are statistical measures of the likelihood that the tested man is the biological father of the tested child. In very general terms, they are based on the number of matching DNA markers between the tested parties.

The results paragraph will state one of two things:

The alleged father is excluded as the biological father of the child. This result is known as an exclusion and indicates that the alleged father is not the biological father of the child.

The alleged father is not excluded as the biological father of the child. This result indicates that the alleged father is the biological father of the child.

If you have any questions about the paternity test results you receive, please call one of our helpful customer service representatives at 1-800-798-3810.

If a woman is pregnant and urgently needs a paternity test, prenatal paternity testing may be an option for her.

A prenatal paternity test can be performed only if the mother is between 10 and 24 weeks pregnant. This is because the procedures used to collect the baby’s sample can only be performed during this time period.

• If the mother is 10-13 weeks pregnant, her baby’s sample can be collected using chorionic villi sampling (CVS).
• If the mother is 14-24 weeks pregnant, her baby’s sample can be collected using amniocentesis.

Both of these sample collection procedures require the participation of an OB-GYN. Also, because the procedures are invasive, it is recommended that the OB-GYN discuss the risks involved with prenatal testing with the mother. If the mother doesn’t have an OB-GYN or would prefer to use someone other than her regular OB-GYN for the paternity test, our prenatal specialists may be able to refer her to a doctor.

While the baby’s samples are collected by an OB-GYN, the mother and alleged father collect their own samples using the buccal swabs supplied in the free Beta Self-Collection™ Kit. We will ship the kit to the test participants within 24 hours of receiving their order.

For more information about this test service, please visit our Prenatal Paternity Testing page.

Patients often ask us if blood samples produce more accurate results than the buccal (cheek) swab samples we collect for our DNA tests. The short answer is no; blood samples and buccal swab samples produce the same test results.

A person’s DNA is the same in every cell of his or her body. Therefore, cells extracted from blood will contain the same DNA as the cheek cells collected by swabbing the inside of the mouth. What’s more, a person’s DNA normally stays the same from the point of conception throughout the life cycle—and even after death. This means that cells taken from any part of the body at any point in a person’s life will contain the same DNA and thus produce the same test results.

There are two main reasons why our primary means of collecting DNA samples is buccal swabbing. First, it is easy to perform; our patients do it themselves in the comfort and privacy of their own homes. Secondly, it is painless. A buccal swab is similar to a long cotton swab. Imagine what it feels like to rub a cotton swab on your inner cheek, and you can see how pain-free our sample collection process really is.

For more information about collecting a buccal swab sample, please view the Beta Paternity DNA Test Sample Collection Video.