Different Samples, Different Results?
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.

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