RT Journal
A1 Harney, Éadaoin
A1 Cheronet, Olivia
A1 Fernandes, Daniel M.
A1 Sirak, Kendra
A1 Mah, Matthew
A1 Bernardos, Rebecca
A1 Adamski, Nicole
A1 Broomandkhoshbacht, Nasreen
A1 Callan, Kimberly
A1 Lawson, Ann Marie
A1 Oppenheimer, Jonas
A1 Stewardson, Kristin
A1 Zalzala, Fatma
A1 Anders, Alexandra
A1 Candilio, Francesca
A1 Constantinescu, Mihai
A1 Coppa, Alfredo
A1 Ciobanu, Ion
A1 Dani, János
A1 Gallina, Zsolt
A1 Genchi, Francesco
A1 Nagy, Emese Gyöngyvér
A1 Hajdu, Tamás
A1 Hellebrandt, Magdolna
A1 Horváth, Antónia
A1 Király, Ágnes
A1 Kiss, Krisztián
A1 Kolozsi, Barbara
A1 Kovács, Péter
A1 Köhler, Kitti
A1 Lucci, Michaela
A1 Pap, Ildikó
A1 Popovici, Sergiu
A1 Raczky, Pál
A1 Simalcsik, Angela
A1 Szeniczey, Tamás
A1 Vasilyev, Sergey
A1 Virag, Cristian
A1 Rohland, Nadin
A1 Reich, David
A1 Pinhasi, Ron
T1 A minimally destructive protocol for DNA extraction from ancient teeth
JF Genome Research 
JO Genome Research 
YR 2021 
FD March 01 
VO 31 
IS 3 
SP 472 
OP 483 
DO 10.1101/gr.267534.120 
UL http://genome.cshlp.org/content/31/3/472.abstract 
AB Ancient DNA sampling methods—although optimized for efficient DNA extraction—are destructive, relying on drilling or cutting and powdering (parts of) bones and teeth. As the field of ancient DNA has grown, so have concerns about the impact of destructive sampling of the skeletal remains from which ancient DNA is obtained. Due to a particularly high concentration of endogenous DNA, the cementum of tooth roots is often targeted for ancient DNA sampling, but destructive sampling methods of the cementum often result in the loss of at least one entire root. Here, we present a minimally destructive method for extracting ancient DNA from dental cementum present on the surface of tooth roots. This method does not require destructive drilling or grinding, and, following extraction, the tooth remains safe to handle and suitable for most morphological studies, as well as other biochemical studies, such as radiocarbon dating. We extracted and sequenced ancient DNA from 30 teeth (and nine corresponding petrous bones) using this minimally destructive extraction method in addition to a typical tooth sampling method. We find that the minimally destructive method can provide ancient DNA that is of comparable quality to extracts produced from teeth that have undergone destructive sampling processes. Further, we find that a rigorous cleaning of the tooth surface combining diluted bleach and UV light irradiation seems sufficient to minimize external contaminants usually removed through the physical removal of a superficial layer when sampling through regular powdering methods.