San Diego Mobile DNA Test FAQ
Peace of Mind DNA Services provide legal and non-legal paternity testing in San Diego, CA and country-wide.
Click here to learn how to establish paternity in California.
What is DNA Paternity Testing?
DNA Paternity Testing uses DNA, the hereditary material in humans, to determine if a man is the biological father of a child through the collection of small cheek-swab samples from both parties.
How does paternity tests work?
DNA is collected from the inside of the participants’ cheeks using a simple and painless swab. The DNA paternity test compares the collected sample from the alleged father to that of a child (minor or adult) to determine the likelihood of a biological relationship between the tested parties.
What are the benefits of paternity testing?
The advantages of paternity testing include:
Access to legal rights and privileges such as health insurance or child support (legal paternity tests only)
Medical history insights (i.e. inherited conditions)
Create emotional bonds and helps in the understanding of your identity
Will a DNA Test ever show 100% Probability of Paternity?
When considering the possibility of paternity, specific sequences are reviewed, and ethnic data is used to calculate a probability of paternity. In order for the man tested to be considered the biological father of the child tested, there must be a match between them at each one of the locations tested. The probability of match between alleged father and child at each genetic location has its own calculation and are multiplied together to get what’s called a Combined Paternity Index (CPI). The higher the CPI, the higher the probability of paternity. The only way to establish 100% paternity is to test every single man in the world. Because of this inability, anything over 99% is considered conclusive. If there is no match at one (or more) of the genetic locations tested, the Combined Paternity index is 0% and the man is not considered the biological father.
Does the mother of the child have to test as well?
While the DNA of mother of the child tested is not required, it is strongly encouraged to help conclude final paternity results.
What items are needed for a legal DNA test?
For all Legal DNA paternity tests (chain of custody), all clients must bring a valid government-issued ID such as a driver’s license, passport, or military ID. For minors, such documents are NOT required due to the guardian and/or alleged father signing the consent form for the child to be tested.