title: DNA profiling and forensic dentistry--a review of the recent concepts and trends.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Teeth are amongst the hardest structures of the human body which are resistant to adverse conditions such as incineration, immersion, trauma, mutilation, decomposition and hence, used in forensic investigations. It is also a valuable source of DNA as other parts of the body gets destroyed or degraded in mass disasters. The fast technological advancements in DNA research have revolutionized the field of forensic medicine and the present work was undertaken to provide an insight in to the recent concepts of DNA profiling in Forensic dentistry.
  
  
  METHODS
  Articles were identified by searches in PubMed and Embase electronic databases from 1980 through July 2010.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DNA profiling provides an exact identification of an individual in mass disasters, identification of culprits in crime scene investigations and solving paternity issues as well. It also provides information regarding the physical characteristics, ethnicity and sex determination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Teeth should be considered for DNA analysis as they are rich sources of quality DNA which can be utilised in all forensic investigations. From variable number tandem repeats (VNTRs) to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), the field of forensic DNA research has been true to the characteristics of any scientific process and it has never been static but represents a continuous evolution of technological development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Dentistry, Jaipur Dental College, Dhand, Amer Tehsil, NH-8, Jaipur 303101, Rajasthan, India. bcmanju10@rediffmail.com
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Manjunath
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Chandrashekar
authors.forename: Melkundi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mahesh
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Vatchala Rani
mesh_terms: D041321:Chromosomes, Human, X; D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y; D004247:DNA / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005553:Forensic Dentistry; D006801:Humans; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods; D014070:Tooth / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D004247:DNA