Dental Calculus as a Vital Tool in Forensic Odontology

Author: P. Sai Archana, Kanmani, Vishnu, Abinaya, Priyanga and Kavya Dharshini

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Abstract

Evidences are a essential tool to bring in justice to the person, but these evidences are sometimes hidden in plain sight & difficult to identify and procure because of reasons varying from storage in rugged conditions, cost and procedure involved in investigations and removal of body parts if needed for evaluation. These are the usual drawbacks that forensic specialists encounter during proof collection and presentation, but this can be easily avoided or better accepted with this evidence. Forensic odontology is primarily concerned with the use of teeth and oral structures for identification in a legal context. Various forensic odontology techniques help in the identification of the human remains in incidents such as terrorists’ attacks, airplane, train and road accidents, fires, mass murders, and natural disasters such as tsunamis, earth quakes and floods, etc. (Disaster Victim Identification-DVI). Dental tooth are the hardest substances seen in the whole body and they tolerate heat and humid conditions comparatively well than other soft and hard tissues of the body. Tooth identification and the way it is placed served as a vital tool in individual identification in the past but the recent advancements paved way to be more specific to the individual identification namely m-DNA analysis. In the field of dentistry, newer methods and avenues were researched for finding evidences which will be easy to procure and provide invaluable evidence in forensics and thus dental calculus were found to be a viable option. Recently, studies reported an excellent source of nucleic acids in dental calculus as it contained a multitude of diverse biomolecules (including microbial, oral micro biome and host DNA) providing information about an individual's culture, diet, ancestry, and health as it remained intact with lesser destruction through time. Hence in this article, we highlight the importance of forensic odontology and the methods in which dental calculus will serve as reliable evidence in upholding justice.

Keywords

Forensic odontology, Dental calculus, DNA analysis, Saliva, Criminology

Conclusion

The DNA samples procured from the individuals has been shown to incorporate endogenous host-DNA, microbial DNA and external environmental inclusions. Analysis of calculus may provide important insights into descendant’s lifestyle, diet, and possible presence of a disease. Thus, calculus aids in approach towards evaluation of the ante mortem profile of unidentified individuals in forensics. Thus, dental calculus acts as minimally invasive, reliable and economical evidence in identification of humans hence can be used in future where it can be helpful in mass disasters or in identification in crime scenes.

References

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How to cite this article

P. Sai Archana, Kanmani, Vishnu, Abinaya, Priyanga and Kavya Dharshini (2023). Dental Calculus as a Vital Tool in Forensic Odontology. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(6): 516-520.