title: Use of DNA technology in forensic dentistry.
abstract: The established importance of Forensic Dentistry for human identification, mainly when there is little remaining material to perform such identification (e.g., in fires, explosions, decomposing bodies or skeletonized bodies), has led dentists working with forensic investigation to become more familiar with the new molecular biology techniques. The currently available DNA tests have high reliability and are accepted as legal proofs in courts. This article presents a literature review referring to the main studies on Forensic Dentistry that involve the use of DNA for human identification, and makes an overview of the evolution of this technology in the last years, highlighting the importance of molecular biology in forensic sciences.
authors.affiliation: Dental School, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. ricardohenrique@usp.br
authors.forename: Ricardo Henrique Alves
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Arsenio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sales-Peres
authors.forename: Rogério Nogueira
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Fernando Toledo
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Sílvia Helena de Carvalho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Sales-Peres