Forensic endodontics and national identity programs in India.

Abstract

National identity programs like Aadhaar in India can play an unique role in identification of an individual and has numerous beneficial applications for the government and the citizens. The biometric records of finger prints and iris provided in the database can be useful for the forensic purpose. In unfortunate incidence of disasters, accidents, and criminal cases such as severe burnings, the identification of the victims is possible through dental profiling where fingerprint matching is not possible. Endodontic treatment includes the radiography for diagnosis of the lesion, during working length determination, obturation, and various other procedures. The variations in tooth anatomy and morphology, post-endo restorations, root canal fillings, and sometimes, endodontic mishaps are recorded in these radiographs. This record can play an important role in identification of a person in case of unfortunate happenings. So, it is suggested to include dental profiling in National Identification programs, and the purpose of this article is to highlight the role of root canal procedures in dental profiling.