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Home DNA Kits

A Way to Help Safeguard Children

By Shannon McKelden

Due to the inability to have control over the accuracy of such DNA specimens and to ensure that DNA is available nearly immediately, Dr. Robert Chastant, an orthodontist in New Iberia, La., started KID-ID.

"KID-ID offers the only system that allows the parent to have a DNA sample attached to the ID card, and this vital information is electronically stored in our secured facility in case [the KID ID Card is lost]," Chastant says. The DNA is decoded and stored, ready for use. Chastant adds that, in case of emergency, this electronically-stored information is sent to local law enforcement agencies across America. "The electronic feature allows the proper information to get in the right hands almost instantly," he says.

Chastant has recruited orthodontists around the country to join the KID-ID program.

Despite the possible drawbacks of parents retaining the DNA information, do-it-yourself home DNA kits are growing in popularity. Some local police departments now offer the kits for free, and kits can be purchased from various online child safety sites.

Peace of mind seems to be why most parents choose to use the kits. "I believe having the DNA helps the proper authorities in getting your missing child back safely, and knowing that I personally have the kit makes me feel better," Gonzalez-Stern says.

Green agrees. "I feel safer knowing I have it if I ever need it," she says.

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