The heat resistance of a ceramic identification device

Identification of human remains by the teeth is a widely accepted forensic procedure. At present the principle dental technique used for identification of the dead is the post-mortem comparison method which involves a comparison of post-mortem dental findings and any available ante-mortem records. This study describes the results of an in vitro incineration investigation testing the heat resistance qualities of metallic intelligence data encoded on microchips comprising part of the Dentify system of identification. Detailed optical and scanning electron microscopic findings show that despite some alteration when exposed to high temperatures the metallic intelligence data itself remains clearly decipherable after exposure to a temperature of 1000 degrees C.