Tooth as a vital source of DNA in forensic odontology: Recent perspective

Abstract

DNA has been the hereditary material of almost all organisms, including humans. In recent years, DNA fingerprinting technique has been the most renowned method used in forensics for human identification. Extracting DNA from routinely used samples becomes very challenging in degraded and fragmented human remains, i.e., in cases of incineration, mutilation, and fire. Due to the unique placement of teeth in the jaw and their composition, DNA material present gets additional protection compared to bones or other sources of DNA. Hence, it frequently becomes the only source of DNA that would be available in such situations for identification. DNA fingerprinting helps unravel the mysteries within the mouth, including the manifestations of diseases in the oral cavity. There have been highly improved methods described for analyzing various forensic scenarios and DNA extractions. Identifying the deceased victims, the missing person, the masked culprits involved in crime, the paternity issues, interpretation of genetic diseases, and determining the ancestry account for some uses of DNA fingerprinting. This review briefly summarizes recent literature and current knowledge of forensic odontology, DNA content, and distribution in teeth and its preservation. This also intends to emphasize the role of the tooth being a valuable source of DNA and thereby discusses some of the methods of recovery of DNA from teeth, ways of DNA analysis, and highlights the benefits and challenges regarding the DNA extraction protocol in the field of forensic odontology.