Toothbrushes as a Source of DNA for Gender and Human Identification—A Systematic Review

Govindarajan Sujatha, Veeraraghavan Vishnu Priya, Alok Dubey, Sheetal Mujoo, Ayman M. Sulimany, Ali Mohammed Omar Tawhari, Lujain Khalawi Mokli, Arwa Jaber Mohana, Saranya Varadarajan, Thodur Madapusi Balaji, A. Thirumal Raj and Shankargouda Patil
Additional contact information
Govindarajan Sujatha: Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Sri Venkateswara Dental College and Hospital, Chennai 600130, India
Veeraraghavan Vishnu Priya: Department of Biochemistry, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha University, Chennai 600077, India
Alok Dubey: Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Sheetal Mujoo: Division of Oral Medicine and Radiology, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Ayman M. Sulimany: Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh 11545, Saudi Arabia
Ali Mohammed Omar Tawhari: College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Lujain Khalawi Mokli: College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Arwa Jaber Mohana: College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Saranya Varadarajan: Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Sri Venkateswara Dental College and Hospital, Chennai 600130, India
Thodur Madapusi Balaji: Tagore Dental College and Hospital, Chennai 600077, India
A. Thirumal Raj: Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Sri Venkateswara Dental College and Hospital, Chennai 600130, India
Shankargouda Patil: Department of Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, Division of Oral Pathology, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-10

Abstract: Background: Few studies have reported the use of toothbrushes as a reliable source of DNA for human or gender identification. The present systematic review with the available information was conducted to answer the focus question “Is a toothbrush a reliable source of DNA for human or gender identification?”. Methods: The keyword combination “Toothbrush” and “DNA” was used to search databases including MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science along with a manual search of reference lists of relevant articles. Duplicates and irrelevant articles were excluded, and the remaining articles were fully read for the final selection of articles. The risk of bias of the included studies was evaluated using the Appraisal tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS tool). Results: Of the 130 articles obtained, 122 duplicates or irrelevant articles were eliminated. Following the full-text reading of eight articles, five articles were selected based on eligibility criteria. The five studies reported that a toothbrush is a good source of DNA irrespective of the time interval. In a few studies some samples were not sufficient for complete DNA profiling due to factors such as the method of DNA extraction. Conclusion: Although a toothbrush is an excellent source of DNA for human and gender identification, future studies with a larger sample size, appropriate control group, and standardized technique of DNA extraction need to be conducted. Additionally, factors influencing the quantity and quality of DNA in toothbrushes need to be determined with standardized techniques.

Keywords: DNA; forensic odontology; gender identification; human identification; toothbrush (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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