The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Deputy secretary-generalSurachokTangwiwat said the FDA had approved two main types of Covid-19 antigen test kits or ATKs which are nasal swab type and saliva sample type.
For the saliva sample type, there are different ways to use it. Some require users to put saliva in a cup and then use a straw to drop the saliva into a sample slot or test strip. Some require users to use a scooping stick to take a sample from the inside of a cheek, dip it in a solution and then add a few drops to a test strip.
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However, the FDA has not approved the registration of any ATKs that instruct users to directly put the tip of a test strip in the mouth.
Moreover, there have not been collected data if the chemicals coated on the tip of a test strip would be dissolved into the mouth while using it.
There is also no information on whether the chemicals coated on the tip would be transferred to the mouth while keeping it there. The method has not been approved for children under 12 because there is no evidence that toxic chemicals would be released if a test strip gets damaged when in the mouth.
The FDA deputy secretary-general suggested members of the public use only ATKs approved by FDA by strictly following the instructions for safety and accuracy.(NNT)
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