Quality assurance in forensic odontology

Area of Science:

• Forensic Odontology
• Quality Assurance
• Dental Forensics

Background:

• Quality assurance (QA) principles, originating from industry, are increasingly applied to specialized fields like forensic odontology.
• Unlike industrial production, forensic odontology involves handmade work, art, and judgment, complicating traditional quality control.
• Existing challenges in forensic odontology include variability in practitioner opinions and differing international legal systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the specific challenges of implementing quality assurance in forensic odontology.
• To explore feasible quality control measures for forensic odontology work, assessments, conclusions, and reports.
• To offer suggestions for enhancing quality assurance, particularly in the context of revising international guidelines.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of quality assurance principles applied to forensic odontology.
• Discussion of practical limitations and potential solutions for quality control in dental forensics.
• Review of existing international guidelines and identification of areas for revision.

Main Results:

• Forensic odontology presents unique quality assurance challenges due to its manual nature and subjective elements.
• Standard industrial quality control models are not directly transferable.
• International quality assurance is hindered by diverse legal systems and practitioner variations.

Conclusions:

• Implementing robust quality assurance in forensic odontology requires tailored approaches.
• Addressing practitioner variability and harmonizing international standards are key to improving reliability.
• The findings aim to contribute to the ongoing revision of international forensic odontology guidelines.