Postmortem Dental Records Identification by Dental Hygiene Students: A pilot study

Area of Science:

• Forensic Odontology
• Dental Hygiene Education

Background:

• Dental hygienists possess skills applicable to forensic victim identification.
• Multidisciplinary teams require diverse expertise for accurate identification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the accuracy of dental hygiene students in victim identification using dental charting, radiographs, and skull dentitions.
• To evaluate the potential role of dental hygienists in forensic identification.

Main Methods:

• Thirty senior dental hygiene students participated in a pilot study.
• Students completed an online training module on forensic dental evidence.
• Participants charted and matched bitewing radiographs to skull dentitions.

Main Results:

• High accuracy scores (91-99%) were achieved in dental charting.
• Excellent interrater reliability (86%) was observed in matching skulls and radiographs.
• Prior radiography experience did not significantly impact accuracy, charting time, or confidence.

Conclusions:

• Dental hygiene students demonstrated proficiency in forensic dental identification tasks.
• The findings support the integration of dental hygienists into victim identification teams.
• Educational programs can enhance the effectiveness of dental hygienists in forensic roles.