Page 76 - Veritas Vol 3, Issue 2

65

FORENSIC

ODONTOLOGY:

ROLES AND

TECHNIQUES USED

Forensic odontology is a branch of dentistry that deals with the appropriate

handling, inspection, and presentation of dental outcomes in the service of
justice, as well as the appropriate appraisal and treatment of dental evidence. By

analysing dental evidence in various circumstances, the forensic odontologist
supports law enforcement agencies. Each person's dental pattern is different.

Therefore, if data are available for the purpose, a person's dentition can be used
for individual identification and comparison. The main benefit of this evidence

is that, similar to other hard tissues, it is frequently maintained until death.

When it comes to decomposing, burned, or skeletonized remains, forensic
odontology is indispensable when standard identification techniques like

fingerprints and visual recognition are not possible. In recent times, forensic
dentistry has become a developing science and is very important to society.

ROLE OF FORENSIC ODONTOLOGY:

Forensic odontology has various roles, such as:

Identification of human remains: Dental records should preferably be collected
and matched to those of the unidentified person in order to identify human

remains based on their teeth. Age and tooth eruption are somewhat correlated,
thereby providing a preliminary victim estimate.

Age estimation: The degree to which crown and root structures have formed, the
eruption stage, and the intermixture of primary and adult dentitions are all

taken into consideration when determining an individual's age.

VERITAS VOLUME: 3, ISSUE: 2 WRITER: VARUN SAI S