Identification of an American hiker

The skeletonized remains of an American hitch-hiker were recovered from a forest near Knysna in the Cape. There were no recognizable features except the presence of dental restorations. The use of the "fax" to transmit dental records while being a speedy means of communication does have its limitations. Electrical faults on the telephone line can cause the document to become illegible and subsequent duplication of this document aggravates the problem. An appeal is made to standardize the notation of teeth by using the FDI code and to adopt a 2 digit code for restoration morphology.