As accessibility is hampered for repair enzymes in NCP as compared to unraveled DNA, the base-by-base enzyme method of scanning for DNA damage might be less efficient as well. Furthermore, while damages such as double strand breaks or bulky adducts can cause deformations in DNA helical structure, oxidative lesions tend to be comparatively less disruptive to DNA structure. However, a study on spiroiminodihydantoin (Sp) suggests that, despite local disruptions to the helix near the Sp-site, NCPs containing Sp display a global structural stability similar to that of NCPs with native DNA. Such a finding is interesting because the Sp oxidative defect, which arises upon further oxidation of 8oxoG, has an even more distorted shape than its parent 8oxoG base and therefore would be assumed to have a broader impact on NCP formation and unraveling. The exploitation of structural differences alone for the recognition of oxidative lesions might be inefficient if such structural distortions are negligible and/or highly localized within the NCP.