Forensic odontology

Abstract

Forensic odontology is a relatively new science that utilizes the dentist's knowledge to serve the judicial system. Forensic odontology deals with human identification based on dental records, bitemarks, lip print, tooth print, and palatal rugae pattern. Human identification heavily relies on the quality of dental records in the office. Dental record includes documents related to the history of present illness, clinical examination, diagnosis, treatment done, and prognosis of treatment. The quality dental records are useful not only in forensic science but also in legal implications such as insurance and consumerism. This article primarily aims at making general practitioners aware about the importance of keeping the various types of dental records and its implication in forensic odontology.