[Medicolegal identification by the dental system]

Bodies found in acts of war or natural disasters are sometimes impossible to identify for police or legal purposes, notably because of calcination or putrefaction. Teeth, which are particularly resistant to destruction by fire, bacteria or other agents, can be used to evaluate the victim's dental age by the Gustafson method with a margin of error of plus or minus 4,6 years. Blood group has also been established with more than 85% concordant results by determination of the A. B. O antigens which are present in dental tissue and pulp. These techniques were tested on 257 teeth from subjects of known dental age and blood group. They provide additional evidence of the identity of deceased persons.