Current Trends in Forensic Odontology. Systematic Review

Abstract Background: Forensic odontology is a subfield of dental science that includes the relationship between dentistry and law. Forensic odontology has played a key role in famous criminal cases. Forensic odontology plays a critical role in the identification of human remains of victims (mutilated, burned and decomposed), when fingerprinting and visual recognition, cannot be fulfilled. This review article was conducted to show the implications of forensic dentistry in criminal investigations. Aim: The purpose of this article provides an overview of the evolving trends in traditional methods and the latest concepts used in forensic dentistry. Methodology: The systematic review included articles from Google Scholar, Medline, Scopus, Web Of Sciences, PubMed was conducted. For Search the following keywords: Forensic odontology, dental records, identification of human remains Estimate Age, Sex assessment, Identification following mass fatalities, assessing bite mark injuries, civil cases involving malpractice, analyze bite marks. Results: Conducted a preliminary search and reviewed 82 titles and abstracts in this review and 27 full-text articles were selected of high methodological quality. Teeth are often resistant to decay even in major accidents, crimes, burials, or other severe exposures to the elements. Therefore, a person's dentition is useful for individual identification and comparison if records exist for this purpose. Various methods have been developed forensic dentistry to determine the age, gender, and ethnicity of an individual using dental tissue. The need for documented procedures and protocols is important for the dentist to In the case of victim identification disaster identification indicators (DVI), allowing for process auditing, they also serve to ensure identification reliability. Dental professionals play a major role in keeping accurate dental records and providing all necessary information so that legal authorities may recognize malpractices, negligence, fraud child abuse and also, identify an individual. In order to serve the forensic operation and the legal authorities, dentists should be familiar with the basics of forensic dentistry, which will create awareness for the preservation of dental data. Conclusion: Forensic dentistry (odontology) plays an important role in resolving dental malpractice or negligence issues, including evaluation, report writing, and/or testifying in court. Every dentist has a responsibility to understand the forensic activities related to their dental practice and should be aware of the available technologies and their use in forensic dentistry. The data collection methods and additional technologies used in forensic dental identification have undergone significant transformation. Artificial intelligence is a technology that is still evolving in forensic dentistry, and its usefulness depends on the specific use case and implementation. New research in forensic dentistry should be encouraged.