Definition - What does Saliva mean?
Saliva is the liquid present in the mouth that is secreted by the salivary glands. Saliva is necessary to begin the digestive process because it contains enzymes that break down foods, particularly starches and fats. Saliva also facilitates swallowing by lubricating the food being consumed. Saliva is of interest to employers because saliva collection is one manner by which drug testing can be conducted in the workplace.
SureHire explains Saliva
Saliva is the liquid present in the mouth that is secreted by the salivary glands. Saliva is integral to initiating the digestive both because it contains the enzymes necessary to break down foods, in particular starches and fats, and because it lubricates the food, which facilitates swallowing.
In terms of workplace drug testing, saliva is a common samples collected for analysis. This is a popular testing method because not only does it detect substances that have been recently ingested, but also because it is considered less invasive than blood testing, which requires the skin to be punctured by a collection needle.
