ABSTRACT

Identification of victims after natural or unnatural disasters is a difficult and time consuming process. Specialists who are trained in forensic dentistry field, take part in groups formed for disaster victim identification. One of the primary and most important practices of forensic dentistry is the identification of bodies which have no relations to identify or are deformed greatly, after a mass fatality. In this field, techniques based on the comparison of dental records have come into prominence. The objective of this article is to give practical information regarding the usage of dental records in mass fatalities. Dental identification is based on the comparison of antemortem and postmortem records for the features such as; restorations, dental caries, missing teeth and prosthetic treatments. Hence, it is necessary to keep organized and detailed records, which include all of these information, in accordance with international norms and facilitate the relevant experts to reach and work on such records in a case of mass disaster. The comparison of dental records can be performed by computer software as well as manually. However, it is considered as the most accurate approach to use both techniques together.

Keywords: Forensic dentistry, mass fatalities, identification, antemortem dental records, postmortem dental records.