Some define forensic odontology as the intersection of the law and the science of dentistry. Others simply state that it happens when dentists assist law enforcement in solving crimes. And although a couple of thousand dentists throughout the world call themselves forensic odontologists or forensic dentists by virtue of study, training, and experience – in truth, nearly every dentist has the basic knowledge required to perform a dental identification – the staple of forensic dental practice. Many dentists have assisted in making dental IDs by providing the “dental records” that are so often referenced in the news – “the authorities are waiting for dental records to positively identify the remains.”

Forensic dental practice also includes the evaluation of bite injuries in both victims and perpetrators of crimes and in animal attack cases as well as evaluation of oral and cranial trauma related to child, spouse, and elder abuse. Some forensic dentists also consult in dental malpractice and dental injury cases. In fact, willingness to and a bit of flair for testifying in court, can separate those who continue to accept forensic cases from those who do a few cases and drop out. Finally, forensic dentists provide needed and oftentimes invaluable service in mass disaster situations – the focus of this issue’s feature article.

Dental identification has a long and storied history. Like the other forensic identification sciences, it is the comparison of an unknown object – the nameless remains – to a known object –the dental record which may include anything from a picture of the teeth to dental models to a the written dental notes of the family dentist or specialist to radiographs – both dental and medical. Some of the earliest recorded cases are of a dentist, Paul Revere for example, recognizing his own dental handicraft in the mouth of a fallen Revolutionary War hero; or, in the case of the Bizarre de la Charite fire in the 1890s when an American dentist and a Cuban dentist practicing in Paris teamed up to help other dentists and themselves recognize their own restorative work in scores of women and children who perished.

Since then advances in dental health and treatment have heralded similar advances in forensic dental identification. The improved dental health of the American public coupled with improved access and vastly improved dental products results in a greater proliferation of “known” evidence with which to compare the unknown remains. Advances in information technology enable faster, more accurate transmission of dental evidence and computer-aided comparison speeds up and refines the search for the perfect “match” – from CAPMI and Toothpics^® to WinID. One part still remains the most difficult – obtaining that first clue that leads to a tentative ID leading to the dental record, whatever it consists of.

Dentists should be proud of the role they have played in numerous airline disasters, war crimes excavations, the World Trade Center, the 2005 Tsunami, and Hurricane Katrina. Credit must also be given to the organizations that have enabled dentists to contribute to lessening human suffering – international groups such as International Association of Forensic Sciences, the British Association of Forensic Odontologists; and, in North America the American Association of Forensic Odontologists, the American Board of Forensic Odontology, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and the DMORT teams of the National Disaster Medical Services.

Robert E. Barsley, DDS, JD is Professor and Director at the LSU School of Dentistry temporarily located in Baton Rouge, LA. He received his DDS from the LSU School of Dentistry in 1977 and his JD from Loyola University in 1986. With over 30 years in forensic dentistry, Dr. Barlsey is a member of the ASFO, the AAFS where he is currently on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, and is a Diplomat of the ABFO. He worked as a member of a DMORT team during the Katrina recovery effort in Louisiana from September 2005 through February 2006 and continues that work today through the New Orleans Forensic Center (Office of the Coroner).