Specimen Requirements

1. Using a lead pencil, label frosted end of glass slide with patient’s name (first and last), date and actual time of collection, collector’s initials, and type of specimen.

2. Instruct patient to brush his/her teeth and/or rinse mouth well with water to minimize contaminating specimen with food particles, mouthwash, or oral drugs. In infants, collection should be between feedings.

3. Angle mouth laterally.

4. Firmly scrape buccal mucosa with tongue depressor and discard.

5. With clean tongue depressor, firmly scrape buccal mucosa collecting “milky” cellular material.

6. Quickly and evenly smear material on slide.

7. Immediately spray slide with spray fixative or immerse in PAP fixative (95% alcohol).

8. Place slide in a slide/cardboard holder.

Note:  1. Please complete an “Anatomic Pathology Request Form” in “Request Forms/Forms” in “Special Instructions” and forward it with the specimen. Requests for this procedure cannot be processed unless the information requested is supplied.

2. Specimen source is required on request form for processing.