The fastest and most accurate procedure commonly used to establish paternity is DNA testing. It allows paternity to be confirmed with a probability of 99.99% (in population genetics statistics it is referred to as "virtually inherited") or to be excluded with 100%. Such a high probability result is due to the use of the two most important characteristics of DNA molecules in the test (inherited DNA and DNA polymorphism).
As the data collected by the doctors of the Department of Forensic Medicine of the Medical Academy in Warsaw show - every 12-th father raises a child that is not his own.
As a rule, a man finds out that he is not the biological father of his child by chance (e.g. when a transfusion or transplant is needed).
The best way to get rid of doubts about whether or not you are the father of your child is to carry out paternity tests - a DNA test to confirm paternity.
The role of DNA in the test
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is an organic chemical compound made up of nucleotides. It is found in chromosomes, acting as a carrier of genetic information.
DNA testing is the common name for analysing the genetic material of two people (in this case, a child and its alleged father) for shared characteristics. The test makes it possible to confirm or exclude, with a given degree of probability, their relationship in a certain degree.
Important! The test makes it possible to determine whether or not a man is the biological father of a child.
The DNA test is one of the most reliable tests, allowing paternity to be confirmed with 99.99% or excluded with 100% within a maximum of 10 days.
During the DNA test, the genetic material of the child, the mother and the (alleged) father are compared.
Important! A man is only the biological father of a child if half of his genetic code matches the corresponding half of the child's code.
Although part of the genetic material is the same in the whole population (this is due to the fact that we belong to the same species), there are fragments of DNA that are unique and specific to the individual.
When the test is carried out, it is these "characteristic" sites, called markers (non-coding systems), that are analysed.
The next step in the test is a statistical analysis of whether the characteristics of these unique sites harmonise with their counterparts in the father.
Important! To carry out a DNA test to establish paternity, it is necessary to collect genetic material from the alleged father and the child.
In the case of private testing, only the traits inherited from the father are analysed, so the genetic material from the mother is only required in certain situations (the occurrence of mutations in either the father or the child. Testing of two alleged fathers closely related to each other).
