Forensic Odontology – A review and update

The science dealing with establishing identity of a person by teeth is popularly known as Forensic Odontology or Forensic Dentistry. It is the specialty with the goal of investigating psychological, physical, chemical and biological phenomena that can reach human beings, comprehending aspects of human identification; criminal, civil, labor and administrative forensic investigation; forensic tanatology; legal documents; forensic traumatology; image examinations; saliva analysis; and other aspects involving a multidisciplinary team. Sustained education and demand over the past half-century has rendered forensic odontology a valuable component of forensic investigations in many countries. Forensic odontology has made great strides in the last decade, ranging from two-to three-dimensional digital analysis of bite marks to extracting DNA from teeth for the purpose of identification. Forensic odontologists are routinely consulted for assistance in legal and criminal problems. This is an attempt to give an update and a comprehensive review of the science.