How to collect a good saliva sample

Sample collection · 2 min read · Updated 21 May 2026
In brief

Fill to the line, nothing to eat or drink for 30 minutes beforehand, and register the barcode before you post it.

The lab needs about 2 ml of saliva — the fill line on the tube, not counting bubbles. Most recollection requests come from under-filled tubes rather than anything biological.

1

Don’t eat, drink, smoke or brush your teeth for 30 minutes beforehand.

2

Rub your cheeks from the outside for a few seconds to get saliva flowing, then let it pool before spitting.

3

Fill to the line, screw the funnel closed so the blue stabilising liquid releases, then shake for five seconds.

4

Register the barcode in your Dante ID account before posting. An unregistered tube cannot be linked to a profile.

Stabilised samples are fine at room temperature for up to 30 days, so a weekend in a postbox is not a problem.

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