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The application of dental methods of identification to human burn victims in a mass disaster
A Valenzuela1, S Martin-de las Heras, T Marques
1Department of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Odontology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Spain. agarach@goliat.ugr.es
Abstract:
This paper deals with the usefulness of dental identification in the case of 28 human burn victims of a bus accident in Spain. Postmortem forensic procedures for identification were used including general external examination, routine photographs and radiographs and complementary biological methods. Dental identification was also used and a description of the method is presented. Dental identification was established in 57% of the cases. When victims were less than 20 years of age, the success rate of identification by dental methods was higher (76% of victims in this age group). The assessment of dental age allowed the establishment of identity of four victims. We recommend that dental procedures be used in human identification after mass disasters. Odontological and radiographic procedures are powerful methods when dealing with burn victims.
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