Forensic Odontology in Dentistry: The Science Behind Identifying the Unidentified

Abstract

Society is faced with various challenges in every step. Despite leaps in modern technology, medical breakthroughs and the geographical changes that the last century has brought, there has not been substantial literature dedicated towards the upcoming branch in medical sciences viz., forensic medicine. This article highlights the importance of Forensic Odontology and reviews the role of the periodontist in the same. Through the specialty of Forensic Odontology, dentistry plays a small but significant role in this process. By identifying the victims of crime and disaster through dental records, dentists assist those involved in criminal investigations. The most common role of the forensic dentist is the identification of deceased individuals. They can aid in identifying the person by using previous dental records and present dental findings. Even if the individual’s previous records are not available, dentists can identify the sex and age by using the current postmortem findings. Recently, periodontists have identified the features of ante mortem and post-mortem changes in gingival tissues. Thus, in future, periodontists could also play an important role in forensic odontology.