Although running the DNA on agarose gel is the best method. Can absorbence be used for determining whether DNA is degraded or not? If yes than what is the criteria?
I don't think absorbance is able to work as an index of DNA degradation. In fact, single nucletide or single strand DNA would increase A260 due to hyperchromic effect.
As Dr. Shweta said, you can check the purity of the samples using A260/A280 wavelength. DNA purity range is around 1,8-2 .If it show more than 2, you may suspect a DNA degradation in your sample.