Forensic Odontology: Role in Mass Disasters

The term mass disaster means a chaotic event, initiated by a destructive force, which results in the multiple fatalities necessitating identification. The identification of large number of casualities in mass disaster is complex due to severe mutilation, charring and decomposition. The routine identification datas fall short in such cases. Teeth are the hardest and chemically most stable tissues in the body. Moreover, teeth and jaws are usually well protected from fire and mechanical trauma and are highly resistant to postmortem destruction and decomposition. Hence, dental identification is one of the most reliable methods of comparative identification in cases of mass disasters.