Periodontics and forensic personal identification: an update

Human identification is a mainstay of civilization and the identification of unknown individuals always has been of paramount importance to the society. Traditional methods of identification have included visually recognizing the body, personal property like clothing, jewellery etc. These methods are however, not very reliable and can be a very traumatic experience for relatives and friends in burned & decomposed cases. The most reliable means of identification include finger prints, dental comparison and DNA profiling, which are unique to every person. Forensic Odontology is one of the most rapidly emerging branches of forensic medicine and forensic science. This branch gives immense importance to dental evidence for the identification of victims and suspects in mass disasters, abuse and organized crimes. Forensic Odontology involves the correct collection, management, interpretation, evaluation and presentation of dental evidence for criminal or civil legal proceedings: a combination of various aspects of the dental, scientific and legal professions. Literature reveals that human dentition is never the same in any two individuals; this is the main basis for dental identification (Each dentition is considered to be unique, although to the non-dental eye, they all may look the same. Variations in shape, color, position, age changes, wear patterns, caries and periodontitis, and all associated dental restorations and prosthetic work, make the dentition as individual as fingerprints. This review aims to discuss the utility of periodontal findings in the field of forensic odontology.