title: Forensic identification in teeth with caries.
abstract: Human teeth are biological structures that resist extreme conditions thus becoming a useful source of DNA for human forensic identification purposes. When it is possible, forensic prefer only non-damaged teeth whereas those with cavities are usually rejected to avoid both external and internal bacterial contamination. Cavities are one of the most prevalent dental pathology and its incidence increases with ageing. The aim of this study was to validate the use of teeth with cavities for forensic identification. A total of 120 individual teeth from unrelated patients (60 healthy and 60 with cavities, respectively) extracted by a dentist as part of the normal process of treatment, were submitted for further analysis. Dental pulp was obtained after tooth fragmentation, complete DNA was extracted and the corresponding human identification profile was obtained by the AmpFlSTR® NGM SElect™ kit. Cariogenic microbiota was determined by PCR-DGGE with bacterial universal primers and bands were excised, re-amplified and sequenced. From the 120 dental pieces analyzed, a defined genetic profile was obtained in 81 (67.5%) of them, with no statistical differences between the healthy and the cavities-affected teeth. Statistical association between teeth status, DNA content and genetic profiles was not observed. Complex bacterial communities were only detected in the cavities group, being the Streptococcus/Enterococcus, and Lactobacillus genera the most represented. We conclude that teeth with cavities are as valid as healthy dental pieces for forensic human identification. Moreover, the severity of the cariogenic lesion as well as associated bacterial communities seems not to influence the establishment of human dental profiles.
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Odontología, Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio, Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alia-García
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biología, Servicio de Criminalística, Dirección General de la Guardia Civil, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Parra-Pecharromán
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal and Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigaciones Sanitarias (IRYCIS), Ctra. Colmenar, Km 9.1, 28034 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Díaz
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Susy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mendez
authors.affiliation: CIBER Epidemiologia y Salud Pública (CIBERESP) and Unidad de Bioestadística Clínica, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal and Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigaciones Sanitarias (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Royuela
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Odontología, Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio, Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gil-Alberdi
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Odontología, Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio, Villanueva de la Cañada, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: López-Palafox
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal and Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigaciones Sanitarias (IRYCIS), Ctra. Colmenar, Km 9.1, 28034 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: rosa.campo@salud.madrid.org.
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Del Campo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004247:DNA / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000382:microbiology; D003782:Dental Pulp / Q000737:chemistry*; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D005553:Forensic Dentistry; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D004247:DNA
keywords: Caries; DGGE; Oral microbiota; STR