Abstract
The current advances in DNA fingerprinting have significantly
revolutionized forensic odontology. DNA, the language of life, manages all cell
activities, which gives unimaginable data related to health and disease. Although the
medical and dental records of the patient are the gold standard in forensic
identification, DNA fingerprinting has plodded along with conventional fingerprints
and blooming in forensic science. Following natural mass calamities or non-natural
catastrophes, when the other means of traditional identification become impossible,
teeth serve as a rich source of DNA due to their resistance to physical and chemical
insults. The recent techniques in the isolation of DNA, the ways of running a DNA
fingerprint and their significance in identifying the truth from untruth are highlighted in
the chapter.