* Dr . Arpit Sikri ** Dr . Poonam Bali
The Journal
*** Dr . Satnam Singh
“ Forensic Prosthodontics : An Emerging Trend ”
Forensic odontology plays an important and often decisive role in the identification of disaster victims . Dental description of unknown or missing persons in cases of mass disasters is a successful means to identify evidences in forensic research . Dental identification assumes a primary role in the identification of remains when postmortem changes , traumatic tissue injury , or lack of a fingerprint record invalidate the use of visual or fingerprint methods . Forensic identification based on assessment of prosthodontic appliances is assuming greater significance , as labeling of dentures and other prosthetic appliance could provide vital clues for patient identification .
Introduction
Forensic odontology is the forensic science that is concerned with dental evidence . Harvey defined forensic dentistry as that branch of forensic medicine , which in the interest of justice , deals with the proper handling in examination of dental evidence with the proper evaluation and presentation of dental findings . Dental identification plays a key role in natural and man made disaster particularly aviation disaster . The most common role of the forensic dentist is the identification of deceased
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individuals . Dental structures are the hardest and most resilient tissues of the human body . Teeth on exposure to postmortem influences will survive longer than other body tissues as the materials used to restore damaged teeth are extremely resistant to physical , chemical ,
2 and biological destruction .
History
There were historical evidences of identification of individuals based on assessment of prosthodontic appliances . During the US Revolutionary War in 1775 , Paul Revere , a young dentist , identified war casualties by bridgework . Dr . Goerge Parkman , a professor in Harvard university , was killed by Dr . J W
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Webster in November 1849 . The body was
completely burnt but identified by charred fragment of a tooth fused to gold by Dr . N C Keep , who had made a removable partial
denture for Dr . Parkman . The hanging of Dr . Webster in 1850 ended the first major trial
based on dental evidence .
Application
The identification of dental remains is of primary importance when the deceased person is skeletonized , decomposed , burned or dismembered . The principal advantage of dental evidence is that , like other hard tissues , it is often preserved after death .
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Reasons for identification :
1 ) Criminal - Typically an investigation to a criminal death cannot begin until the victim has been positively identified . 2 ) Marriage - Individuals from many religious backgrounds cannot remarry unless their partners are confirmed deceased . 3 ) Monetary - The payment of pensions , life assurance and other benefits relies upon positive confirmation of death . 4 ) Burial - Many religions require that a positive identification be made prior to burial in geographical sites . 5 ) Social - Society ' s duty to preserve human rights and dignity beyond life begins with the
* Post Graduate Student ( Prosthodontics ), Dasmesh Institute of Research & Dental Sciences , Faridkot , Punjab , India .
** Reader , Department of Prosthodontics , Dasmesh Institute of Research & Dental Sciences , Faridkot , Punjab , India .
*** Reader , Department of Orthodontics , Dasmesh Institute of Research & Dental Sciences , Faridkot , Punjab , India .
133 Vol . 12 No . 23 May-August Sept-Dec 2016