Forensic Dentistry-Awarness Among Dental Practitioners in and around Lucknow

Forensic Dentistry is the application of the knowledge of dental sciences to legal investigation. It can be considered as an area of specialization under Dentistry as well as Forensic Medicine because the knowledge of both the fields is vital for its proper application. Although it appears new to us, it is probably as old as mankind itself as inscribed in the Bible. It is an established specialty in some of the countries but in India, it is still in the seminal stages

A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 150 dental practitioners in and around Lucknow and data was collected by means of a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 10 relevant questions with demographic data. Description statistics were used and findings are presented as number and percentage.

Our study showed that 20% of the Dentists were aware about the vital information they can get from teeth examination. 90% of the participants were aware of the importance of maintaining dental records. 70% were aware about their duty to inform police on detecting a child abuse case. 30% dental practitioners did not know the role of Forensic Odontology in mass disaster cases. Among the 150 dental practitioners, not one was ever a part of any forensic team.

Forensic Odontology is still in seminal stage in India, but, can be a very useful tool, if in depth analysis of trends in teaching forensic odontology is possible. This situation, could be improved by making Forensic Odontology a part of our academic curriculum, provided constantly updated for the benefit of the discipline and the community it serves.