Comparative Assessment of Forensic Odontology Awareness Among Dental and Medical Students in Turkey

This study aimed to assess and compare the awareness and knowledge of forensic odontology among dental and medical students in Turkey with a focus on identifying educational gaps and evaluating interdisciplinary readiness.

A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted with 234 students (144 dental and 90 medical students) in their clinical years. The questionnaire covered five domains: demographics, exposure to forensic education, conceptual familiarity, terminology recognition and professional responsibilities. Associations between survey responses and demographic variables were analysed using Pearson's chi-square test and Cramér's V.

Dental students reported higher frequencies of forensic exposure, with 67.4% completing coursework and 86.8% attending workshops, compared to 28.9% and 50.0% of medical students, respectively. Conversely, medical students demonstrated higher recognition rates in specific domains, such as lip print terminology (24.4% vs. 4.9%) and the utility of teeth as a DNA source (33.3% vs. 12.5%). Senior students and female participants exhibited significantly higher indices of awareness and ethical sensitivity. Notably, a marked dissonance was observed between participants' high self-rated sufficiency (> 80%) and their limited technical familiarity with specific forensic parameters.

Despite having greater curricular exposure, dental students did not consistently demonstrate superior forensic knowledge compared to medical students, highlighting a disconnect between educational quantity and professional proficiency. Widespread deficits in critical medicolegal areas suggest that current instructional models are insufficient.