paternity test /pətur″nitē/ [L, pater + testum, crucible] , a test to establish proof that a man is the biological father of an individual. The use of a DNA profile to determine if two individuals are biologically parent and child is the most accurate method; samples can be easily obtained by using buccal cells found on the inside of the father’s and child’s cheek. Another method still in use includes a test based on genetic blood groups that is used mainly to exclude the possibility that a particular man could be the father of a specific child.
