Dental radiographic identification utilising computerised digital slice interposition: a case report

A pair of ante- and post-mortem periapical dental radiographs of an individual were digitised on a personal computer with the aid of an X-ray scanner. The radiographs were appropriately prepared and compared using image editing software. In this case, dental restorations, root morphology, periodontal ligaments, pulp spaces, bony trabeculation and a retained root fragment were features used for comparison. The results showed that all the features were consistent in ante-mortem and post-mortem radiographs except for two points. Both discrepancies were related to dimensional differences found in dental restorations and the retained root fragment. Nevertheless, there were acceptable explanations to account for each discrepancy.