dna and dna evidence 1197.4.6 Data ManagementThe sample collection and laboratory processing portions of the DNA
mass fatality response are complicated activities. But neither is more com-
plex than the need to assemble all of the data that are generated, review
them, and compare these unknown profiles with the available references,
including interpreting the results and assigning a statistical weight to
the conclusions. This activity becomes far more challenging depend-
ing on the number of different laboratories that are processing samples
and the degree of commonality between their procedures. These issues
are best addressed during the disaster planning phase. Other factors that
will impact data management requirements are the typing technologies
applied (autoSTR, Y-STR, mtDNA, etc.), the genealogical proximity of
family references to the victims, and decisions regarding the use of partial
or incomplete profiles.
Most DNA laboratories are acquiring or developing their own labora-
tory information management systems that aid the staff in maintaining the
chain of custody and facilitate data analysis, statistical computation, and
tracking both productivity and turnaround times. The variation in capa-
bility from one management system to another is quite extreme, and very
few laboratories have systems that are developed specifically to handle mass
fatality scenarios.30–32,35,36
7.5 Teeth as Sources for Forensic DNATeeth are known to survive most postmortem events, including natural
phenomena such as decomposition and autolysis, as well as environmental
insults, such as water immersion, burial, and fires to as hot as 1,100°C.37, 3 8
Neurovascular cells of the pulp and, to a lesser extent, odontoblasts embed-
ded in the predentin layer and trapped during mineralization in the dentinal
tubules have been shown to be valuable sources of DNA evidence when other
bodily tissues are degraded or missing.39,40 Various methods are advocated
to access these various regions of the tooth and effectively recover sufficient
amounts of DNA from the different cell types to both minimize the potential
loss of dental structures and data and yet maximize DNA recovery.
The spectrum of various methods to access dental cells for DNA extrac-
tion are represented by the two most widely used dental DNA recovery
techniques. Additionally, current research is focused on other methods to
increase further the yield of DNA from degraded and compromised samples.
To conservatively access cellular material, Smith et al. advocate horizontal
sectioning of the tooth near the cementoenamel junction. This retains the
coronal aspect for ulterior forensic examination or historical preservation