DNA in forensic odontology: An overview

Abstract

Human remains are tremendously damaged and degraded in forensic cases and the identification becomes very difficult, in those cases teeth and bones are often the only reliable sources of DNA for identification. Advances in DNA extraction techniques and short-amplicon DNA typing have greatly increased our potential to identify human remains which were previously considered to be too compromised for genetic analysis. As the teeth are largely protected within the jawbones and remains protected from the environmental conditions and prevent these tissues from postmortem decomposition and DNA decay. DNA profile tests which are performed nowadays are totally reliable and give details about an individual’s physical characteristics, ethnicity, place of origin and sex. These tests are also accepted as legal proofs in courts. These tests are: Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Typing, STRs Typing, Mitochondrial DNA Analysis, Y-Chromosome Analysis, X-Chromosome STR, Single Nucleotide Polymorphism. The aim of this review is to provide a better understanding and knowledge about the latest techniques in DNA for human identification in the field of forensic odontology.