Ficarra G, Eversole L R
Institute of Odontology and Stomatology, School of Dentistry, University of Florence and USL 10/D, Italy.
Minerva Stomatol. 1992 Oct;41(10):425-9.
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a recent innovation in biotechnology for amplifying specific nucleic acid sequences by use of repeated cycles of DNA synthesis. Application of PCR has been extended to a wide variety of biological and medical disciplines; fields of application include molecular genetics, pathology, microbiology, forensic medicine, and infectious diseases. Because of its speed and powerful sensitivity, PCR has become a highly valuable method for detecting small amounts of target nucleic acid sequence with the caveat that it has certain limitations. Importantly, false-positive reactions can result from the amplification of contaminating DNA whereas false-negative reactions can result from introduction of inadequate numbers of primer sequences. The application of PCR in the context of oral pathology is presented along with a discussion of the utility of this technique to aid in the elucidation of the etiology of oral disease.
聚合酶链反应（PCR）是生物技术领域的一项最新创新，它通过重复的DNA合成循环来扩增特定的核酸序列。PCR的应用已扩展到广泛的生物学和医学学科；应用领域包括分子遗传学、病理学、微生物学、法医学和传染病学。由于其速度快且灵敏度高，PCR已成为检测少量目标核酸序列的一种非常有价值的方法，但它也有一定的局限性。重要的是，污染DNA的扩增可能导致假阳性反应，而引物序列数量不足则可能导致假阴性反应。本文介绍了PCR在口腔病理学中的应用，并讨论了该技术在辅助阐明口腔疾病病因方面的实用性。
