Forensic Identification through Denture Tags: Performance under Stimulated Environmental Conditions

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Forensic Science
• Medical Device Technology

Background:

• Near-field communication (NFC) technology offers potential for embedding identification data into medical devices.
• Dentures, particularly in mass fatality incidents, require robust methods for identification and data retrieval.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the durability and scannability of NFC chips integrated into complete and partial dentures.
• To evaluate the impact of various environmental conditions on the performance of embedded NFC tags.

Main Methods:

• 56 denture samples (complete and partial) with embedded NFC tags (LINQS® Micro NFC, NXP NTAG213 chip) were subjected to six environmental challenges (temperature, pH).
• Tag readability, data retention, and structural integrity were assessed using a smartphone NFC reader before and after exposure.

Main Results:

• All embedded NFC tags remained scannable and readable post-exposure to diverse environmental conditions.
• Minor physical degradation and no signal loss were noted, even after extreme temperature exposure.
• Tag scannability varied slightly depending on the specific environmental conditions encountered.

Conclusions:

• NFC tags demonstrate excellent compatibility and reliability when embedded within complete and partial dentures.
• The technology's resilience, even under severe thermal stress, supports its use for rapid, unambiguous identification in forensic and medical contexts.