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 By DAN KADISON
October 27, 2003 -- EXCLUSIVE
 New
York City parents worried about losing their kids to a predator
or a terror attack are heading to the dentist's office.
New techniques allows parents to store their kids' DNA and
other physical data when they go in for a cleaning - and
NYC dentists say the idea is catching on. The new product
that makes it possible is called Toothprints - a nondegradable
plastic bite-plate developed to retain a child's bite impression,
saliva scent and genetic makeup.
"When I heard about it, it seemed like a no-brainer," said
Dr. Jason Kasarsky, who began Toothprinting last May and
performs the simple procedure about five times a month. "People
are asking about it more than ever before."
Last week, Margot Stern's 3-year-old son visited Kasarsky's
Park Avenue office and was Tooth-printed in no time.
Kasarsky heats the Y-shaped plate in water for 30 seconds,
has the child chomp down on it for a couple of seconds, removes
the plate and lets it air dry for a minute or two before
procedure is completed.
"I don't see what the negatives are after living in
New York after 9/11," said Stern, 40. "There's
so much uncertainty."
Fears of terrorist activity aside, a national study completed
by the federal government in 2002 said roughly 797,500 kids
were reported missing in 1999. The majority are taken by
family members, but 58,200 of those children were snatched
by people known to the family who didn't have permission
to take the kids - and 115 of them were grabbed by predatory
strangers.
Still, there are those that say Toothprints causes parents
to needlessly worry, may not hold DNA as well as its proponents
claim, and makes parents Toothprint their children at least
three times because of changes that occur in a growing mouth.
Even with the concerns, many believe the procedure, normally
administered at no cost or for a charitable donation, can
be worthwhile.
"It's noninvasive, it's inexpensive or free, it takes
about five minutes to do, so why not do it?" asked Jerry
Nance, a National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
case manager.
Toothprints was invented several years ago by Dr. David
A. Tesini, a Massachusetts pediatric dentist.
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