A vigilance alert for forensic odontology: Preservation and maintenance of dental records in Central India

• Main Authors: Urvashi Tomar, Bhuvnesh Airen, Priyanka Airen Sarkar, Himanshu Singh, Kundendu Arya Bishen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2020-01-01
• Series: Indian Journal of Dental Sciences
• Subjects: dental records; dental remains; forensic dental records; medicolegal cases
• Online Access: http://www.ijds.in/article.asp?issn=0976-4003;year=2020;volume=12;issue=1;spage=16;epage=20;aulast=

Introduction: One of the most encouraging facts about forensic odontology is that it is looked upon today as a reliable methodology which is highly accurate when maintained correctly. Dental tissues are the strongest in the human body. They remain unchanged even after the long period of exposure to extreme conditions. In the field of criminal investigation and medicolegal cases, dental practitioners play a pivotal role. The maintenance of dental records is legally important in most of the European and American countries. Unfortunately, the law is not very clear in India and the awareness is very poor. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in which a questionnaire was designed for the participating dentists to self-assess their awareness regarding forensic odontology and forensic value of the dental records maintained in routine practice. The Chi-square test was used for evaluating the results statistically, and the level of significance was set at 0.05. Results: Our study revealed that the dental practitioners of Madhya Pradesh, India, are not adequately prepared for any kind of forensic and medicolegal need if it arises at all. Conclusion: Our study reveals that there is an alarming call for rectification and improvisation in forensic odontology awareness among the practitioners.