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On October 7, 2023, an attack on Israel led to 1200 Israeli fatalities, creating a critical need for victim identification under challenging conditions of the remains, which ranged from fresh to severely burnt and fragmented. This study examines the role of forensic odontology within a multidisciplinary approach to disaster victim identification, a key element in handling mass casualty events. Ante-mortem dental data, obtained from various sources, were matched with postmortem information, such as full mouth X-rays and cone-beam computed tomography scans, utilizing dental identification software and visual comparison methods. A total of 970 victims were examined, leading to the successful identification of 166 individuals, representing 17 % of the overall identifications made through all scientific means. These findings emphasize the value of dental interventions and morphological features in forensic identifications, depicted in computed tomography-generated panoramic images which can provide an effective alternative to full mouth X-rays when direct oral access was restricted. These insights contribute to advancing forensic practices in response to complex mass disaster situations. • Effective dental identification methods in DVI. 166 victims (17 %) identified by dental methods despite extreme conditions. • CT-generated panoramics are effective alternatives when direct oral access is limited. • Dental interventions and morphology are vital for forensic victim identification. • Importance of dental morphology and potential integration of AI in future identifications. • No significant differences in efficiency between PM CT-OPGs and FMX for identifying dental interventions/tooth morphology.
Sharon et al. (Wed,) studied this question.