##submission.abstract##
The impact that Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) has had and continues to have in the world of dental and medical biological scientific research is probably second to none. The inventor of this technique, Kary Mullis, is certainly a very particular figure in the scientific field, and without any doubt also deeply divisive, with his unconventional ideas - to say the least -regarding various topics. Here we want to briefly review the life of Kary Mullis and his contribution to scientific progress in dental and medical sciences.