Dental Records Research Articles

Patterns of Tooth Extraction at a Student Dental Clinic in Palestine.

While the ideal approach in dentistry is to preserve teeth and restore their functionality within the oral cavity, there are circumstances where tooth extraction becomes a necessary and routine dental procedure. In cases where preserving the tooth is not feasible due to unavoidable reasons, extraction may be the preferred choice to ensure the attainment of stable oral health. So, the present study aims to elaborate on the trends in extraction in student dental clinics in Palestine. The present study is a cross-sectional study. Informed consent was obtained from the participants before enrolling in the study. Patients from all the departments undergoing extraction procedures were included in the present study. Patient information such as age, sex, and main reason for tooth extraction was collected. A dental record was noted for the number of teeth extracted, the type of the teeth, and the condition of the teeth extracted. All the data collected was entered in the spreadsheet, and frequency was calculated for each variable. The present study showed that third molars were the most extracted teeth, and dental caries was the primary cause of extraction. In the "clearance cases," lower canines were the most commonly extracted teeth. In the "non-clearance cases," lower incisors and lower first molars were the most commonly extracted teeth. Conclusion: The present study gives an overview of tooth extraction patterns in student dental clinics in Palestine. Further studies are required to evaluate and compare the prevalence and causes of tooth loss in different settings.

Knowledge, practice, and attitude evaluation of forensic dentistry among Iraqi dentists: Questionnaire-based study

Abstract Background: Forensic dentistry is a branch of forensic science that deals with the examination, analysis, and interpretation of dental evidence in legal investigations. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, practice, and attitudes of Iraqi dentists toward forensic dentistry. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was designed with four sections and distributed to dentists. The four sections were demographic, knowledge (assessed the dentists’ knowledge and consisted of 14 questions), practice (evaluated the dentists’ practices and consisted of six questions), and attitude (consisted of two questions to assess the dentists’ attitudes). For the knowledge, practice, and attitude sections, the answers were either “yes” (correct), “no,” or “I don’t know” (incorrect). The correct answer frequencies were calculated, and the mean scores of responses were compared among the different variables. Results: A total of 414 dentists responded, including 196 male dentists and 218 female dentists. The mean age of the responders was 32.57 years, and the responders were divided according to age into: 304 (≤40 years), and 110 dentists (˃40 years), according to qualifications into: 168 (postgraduate) and 246 (graduate), and according to experience years: 228 (≤10 years) and 186 (˃10 years). The questions related to using teeth as indicators of age received the highest number of correct answers, whereas the use of palatal rugae and lips in forensic dentistry received the lowest scores. Conclusion: Iraq dentists had limited knowledge, practice, and attitude about forensic dentistry. Therefore, it is important for undergraduate and postgraduate programs, as well as official training courses, to focus more attention on forensic dentistry.

System of gender identification and age estimation from radiography: a review

<span lang="EN-US">Under extreme conditions postmortem, dental radiography examinations can play an essential role in individual identification. In forensic odontology, individual identification traditionally compares antemortem dental records radiographs with those obtained on postmortem examination. As such, these traditional methods are vulnerable to oversights or mistakes in the individual identification of unidentified <span>bodies. Digital technology can develop forensic odontology well. An automatic individual identification system is needed to support the forensic odontology process more easily and quickly because there are still opportunities to be created. We aimed to review the complete range of recent developments in identifying individuals from panoramic radiographs. We study methods in gender identification, age estimation, radiographic segmentation, performance analysis, and promising future directions</span>.</span>

Controversies and Challenges in Bite Mark Analysis: A Comprehensive Review

Controversies and Challenges in Bite Mark Analysis: A Comprehensive Review

Human Teeth: The Valiant Survivors

Abstract Background: Fire accidents are an important cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide which includes automobile accidents, bomb explosions, electric accidents, etc., Soft tissues are easily destroyed and conventional identification becomes impossible. In such cases, forensic odontology has been an important medicolegal investigation in humans during fire accidents as the teeth can withstand high temperatures. Unlike soft tissues, teeth have a higher degree of resistance to temperature, could potentially provide valuable information, and allowing personal identification. Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the macroscopic and stereomicroscopic findings of the teeth exposed to various temperature ranges from 80°C to 90°C, 250°C–350°C, 750°C–850°C, and 900°C–1000°C. Materials and Methods: Tooth extracted for orthodontic or periodontal purposes was placed in a furnace and heated at a rate of 20°C/min and the effects at the predetermined temperatures range of 80°C–90°C, 250°C–350°C, 750°C–850°C, and 900°C–1000°C were examined macroscopically and then observed microscopically using stereomicroscope. Results: Teeth can resist high temperatures and their change in color from lesser to high temperature was seen. The evident colour changes were ranging from light yellow to yellowish–brown, greyish–brown, bluish–grey, and chalky–white. Conclusion: Teeth can be a reliable source of identification in fire accidents if no other means of identification is available.

Bitemarks in forensic odontology: aspects, study methodology and critical analysis issues

Bitemarks in forensic odontology: aspects, study methodology and critical analysis issues

Verwendung von forensischer Zahnmedizin zur Identitätsfeststellung. Eine Befragung auf Ebene der Länderpolizei

ZusammenfassungHintergrundIn Deutschland liegt die Identifizierung unbekannter Toter in der Zuständigkeit der Polizei. Gemäß INTERPOL-Standards werden primäre (DNA, Fingerabdrücke, Zähne) und sekundäre Merkmale (z. B. Tätowierungen) untersucht. Die forensische Zahnmedizin wird als effiziente Methode bereits international eingesetzt. In dieser Studie soll auf Länderebene in Deutschland die Vorgehensweise der Polizei analysiert werden. Untersucht werden angewandte Methoden bei der Identifizierung, die Rolle der forensischen Zahnmedizin, die Zusammenarbeit mit Zahnärzt*innen und mögliche Optimierungsansätze.MethodenMittels eines digitalen Fragebogens sollten in allen Bundesländern für Funde unbekannter Toter zuständige Polizeibeamt*innen zu Identifizierungsmethoden und speziell zur Anwendung forensischer Zahnmedizin befragt werden.Ergebnisse85 Sachbearbeiter*innen aus mind. 11 Bundesländern nahmen an der Befragung teil. Die Vorgehensweise stellte sich als dienststellenspezifisch heraus. In 72,6 % der Fälle werden bei der Identifizierung verschiedene Merkmale kombiniert, am häufigsten DNA mit Zahnstatus (37,1 %). Die DNA-Analyse wird am häufigsten verwendet. 62,9 % der Befragten stimmten zu, dass die zahnärztliche Identifizierung „oft“ angewendet wird. Der Anteil der Identifizierungen mittels Zahnstatus wird auf 1,6–8,1 % geschätzt. Für die forensische Zahnmedizin haben 19,4 % eine feste Ansprechperson. Eine digitale Plattform, um Zahnmediziner*innen zu kontaktieren, schätzten 56,5 % als hilfreich ein.DiskussionDie forensische Zahnmedizin steht aktuell noch hinter der DNA-Analyse zurück, was sich durch die zunehmende Digitalisierung ändern könnte, wenn z. B. Ante-mortem-Daten zuverlässiger zur Verfügung stehen und Plattformen für den interdisziplinären Austausch geschaffen werden.

Cross sectional questionnaire survey on knowledge, attitude and behavior on forensic odontology among dental students: An institution based study

Forensic odontology (FO) involves examination, proper evaluation and presentation of dental evidence before the court of law. Globally, forensic odontology (FO) has been a benchmark in advance teaching. Dentists are the oral health professionals who have a high chance of identifying bite marks and signs of abuse. Dentists in India were less into the field of forensic odontology than the western countries. Objectives: To assess the knowledge, awareness, attitude, and behavior on FO among dental undergraduate students in a dental institution. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 273 dental undergraduate students with a 15 itemed self administered questionnaire in a dental institution located in the state of Andhra Pradesh, South India. Result: The statistical analysis was carried out through descriptives and chi-square test with the statistical significance set as p<0.05 in SPSS software version 20.0. A total of 273 students participated in the survey, 83.9% of them aware that DNA can serve as identification. 93.1% know tooth can be used for dental age estimation. 61.9% of participants know the forensic odontology from the books. 60.8% of participants were aware of the application of forensic odontology in the investigation. 66.7% were lack of adequate knowledge of forensic odontology. 65.6% of participants agreed that they aware of bite mark patterns of teeth. 58.6% of participants aware that DNA can be collected from the bite mark. More than 85% of the students contracted that cheiloscopy is a study of lip prints. 67.4% of participants agreed on the forensic odontology as a department of its specialty rather than interdisciplinary. Conclusion: We observed a student’s has good exposure to scope, importance, and opportunity about FO among UG students, This study stimulates further research to uplifting of forensic odontology in the future. Keywords: Awareness, Forensic odontology, Survey

Digital Panoramic Radiographs for Age Prediction Utilizing the Tooth Coronal Index of First Mandibular Bicuspids Among the South Indian Population.

Introduction Age estimation holds significant importance within the realm of forensic science, serving as a crucial tool for various purposes such as validating birth certificates, aiding immigration processes, and determining eligibility for retirement benefits. Additionally, age estimation carries significant implications in situations involving human trafficking, offering insights into matters such as legal culpability, adult classification, and marriage age assessment. Aim The purpose of this research was to assess the precision of the Tooth Coronal Index (TCI) in the estimation of age, a key component of forensic odontology. Materials and methods The research employed a retrospective approach, analyzing 700 digital panoramic radiographs of the mandibular first bicuspids. The study population was categorized into five age groups viz. 20-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, andabove 61 years respectively. Statistical methods were applied to investigate the relation betweenTCI and age. Additionally, one-way ANOVA was utilized to compare the groups. Results Findings revealed that males aged between 20-30 years exhibited underestimation, while males above 60 years displayed overestimation. Among females, the smallest disparity between existent and calculated age was observed in the 31-40 age group. Notably, ANOVA analysis for females indicated highly significant differences between the calculated and actual ages across all age segments (P<0.01). Regarding the mean TCI, inter-group comparisons showed statistically insignificant differences in males, while in females, the distinctions were statistically extremely noteworthy (P<0.01). Conclusion The utilization of TCI for age estimation based on mandibular first bicuspids is recommended as a convenient, non-invasive, and time-efficient approach.

Sixty years of research in dental age estimation: a bibliometric study

BackgroundDental age estimation (DAE) research has grown rapidly and became one of the biggest topics in forensic odontology. This study aimed to evaluate the DAE research trends over the span of 60 years using bibliometric analysis.MethodsSampling was performed in the Scopus database using a search string (“Dental Age Estimation” OR “Age Determination by Teeth”) to detect DAE-related studies. The search was performed from inception to the year 2022. A data-cleaning intervention using a fuzzy-matching technique was done to unify the author and affiliation name variations.ResultsThe initial search returned 1638 articles, years of publication ranging from 1964 to 2022, with an approximate growth rate of 5.9% a year. Source analysis showed that most of the top article sources were Forensic Science International (n = 200). Cameriere R presents the overall highest score (77 articles, Local h-index 30). Authors from Shanghai Jiao Tong University produced the highest number of publications (n = 111). The most locally cited study was “A New System of Dental Age Assessment” by Demirjian et al. (Hum Biol 45:211-227, 1973) (n = 1507). The trending topics analysis shows that earlier DAE studies were focused on dental regressive changes and later changed focus to utilizing technological advancements. Institutions and Author's collaborations were also found to be internationally diverse with 20.82% of the articles being a product of international co-authorships.ConclusionsDAE research has grown rapidly helped by multiple advancements in various technological ends. Along with the high demand for DAE analysis, authors and publishers need to continually improve their standards for their respective research and reporting and continue to increase collaboration.

Radix molaris is a hidden truth of mandibular first permanent molars: A descriptive- analytic study using cone beam computed tomography.

Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) could be more beneficial in clinical situations that involve the determination of root canal morphology. The aim of the study was to ascertain the prevalence of radix molaris (paramolaris-RP and entomolaris-RE) in a subpopulation of Saudi Arabia using CBCT. A total of 700 CBCT scans of mandibular permanent first molars were included in this study. All CBCT scans were interpreted by two trained dentists and an endodontist. Mandibular permanent first molars with fully developed roots and closed apices were only included. Computed Tomography scans were obtained from the dental college record. The anatomic characteristics which were checked included: the prevalence of radix molaris in both RE and RP and the prevalence of radix molaris according to the patient's gender and age. All CBCT images were processed and reconstructed using OnDemand3DTM imaging software. Of the 700 patients included, 651 (93.0%) did not have radix molaris, 46 (6.6%) had radix entomolaris and 3 (0.4%) had radix paramolaris in the study group. There was no statistically significant difference between the genders and age in the incidence of RE and RP (P-value < 0.05). The study showed that RE prevalence is more compared to RP in the first lower molars in the population studied. It is important to identify extra roots and associated canals to perform successful root canal treatment and avoid failure.

Assessment of crown dimensions of primary teeth in a selected sample of Indian children - An odontometric study

Abstract Introduction: The size and shape of the tooth are important sources of information for anthropology, forensic odontology, and clinical dentistry. Different populations, and even individuals within the same population, may have variations in the odontometric characteristics of their teeth, which limits the applicability of the data across groups. Aim: To establish the normal odontometric data of primary teeth and examine the sexual dimorphism and its usefulness as a tool to identify the sex among young children. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 150 children aged 3–5 years. The parents of the selected children were informed about the procedure protocol of the study and their written consent was obtained. The negative replica of the maxillary and mandibular teeth was obtained and dental casts were prepared. The mesiodistal, buccolingual, and crown height dimensions of each tooth were measured with a digital Vernier caliper. Two independent examiners measured each tooth’s dimensions three times, and the mean was analyzed. Results and Discussion: There was no significant difference between the teeth in the right and left quadrants. Males had larger odontometric dimensions than females. The sex of children based on odontometrics of primary teeth crowns could be determined with an accuracy of 98%, 72%, and 86% using mesiodistal, buccolingual, and crown height dimensions, respectively. Conclusions: There was a clear sexual dimorphism of the primary teeth. The odontometrics can be used as a low-cost and alternative tool for sex identification among children.

Artificial intelligence and skull imaging advancements in forensic identification

ABSTRACT Managing the massive losses associated with large-scale disasters requires significant resources. The unexpected violence of these events generally remains a matter of casualties that urgently need to be identified in a reliable and cost-effective manner. To overcome these difficulties, many researchers have attempted to develop automated methods; moreover, a few recent research have investigated the applicability of artificial intelligence (AI)-based methods using skull, dental, and maxillofacial forensic imaging. In this review, we speculate on the advancement and potential of AI in Dental and Maxillofacial imaging that can help simplify person or victim identification and speed up the process with good accuracy. Using a few prefix search phrases, an online literature search was conducted (AI, Forensic, Skull, Dental, Imaging, Radiology) to identify papers about the advancement of AI in forensic dentistry in all kinds of radiographs, including two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) radiographs, cone beam computed tomography (CT) and CT. Most of the studies reported that automated methods of human identification based on 2D and 3D Dental and Skull radiographs using a convolutional neural network showed to assist in the fast and accurate identification by expertise evaluating a lot of images and quickly coming up with potential matches for identification. We advocate the application of AI techniques in the identification of individuals. However, there is a need to continue research with emphasis to validate models in skull identification.

Evaluation of Familial Similarity of Carabelli’s Trait in South Kerala Population: A Pilot Study

Abstract Background: The distribution of Carabelli’s trait is variable in different individuals and also amongst children and their parents. Knowledge and distribution of Carabelli’s trait and evaluating their familial similarity can be very useful in forensic dentistry. The forensic implication also includes the identification of deceased individuals, racial identification and cases of disputed paternity. Aim and Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the familial similarity of Carabelli’s trait in South Kerala population and to determine the extent of expression of Carabelli’s pattern in both child and parent. Materials and Methods: Children and their parents from the department of pedodontics over 1 month were selected and examined for the expression of Carabelli’s trait in the maxillary primary second molar and permanent maxillary first molars. For this study, non-carious teeth with good anatomical landmarks are selected. Caries tooth, fractured tooth and supernumerary para molars are excluded from the study. Child age groups between 6 and 12 years were selected and parents of any age groups were selected for the study. Informed consent both verbal and written was taken before taking intraoral impressions and photographs. Maxillary impressions and intraoral photographs of both child and their parent were recorded, and further examination and scoring were done on cast and photographs on the basis of the classification developed by the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology system which specifies the eight grades of expression of Carabelli’s pattern. Result: In our study, we are able to identify a familial similarity in the expression of Carabelli’s trait in children and parents in the South Kerala population. Conclusion: Cusp of carabell’s trait in south Kerala population.

Embracing technology for improving dental records and record keeping in the Republic of South Africa. A review.

Forensic odontology (FO) techniques are used to identify unknown remains and play an integral role in dental-legal cases. The utility of FO relies on accurate antemortem records – the creation and management of which continues to be a global challenge, albeit more acutely presenting in developing countries. Inadequate record keeping and management by the dental fraternity has made application of FO techniques for identifying unknown remains challenging. In addition, dental-legal cases such as in homicides, rapes, patient mismanagement and fraud are sometimes unresolved due to record keeping and health system shortcomings. This current status quo affects families and society: bereaved families are deprived of closure, and protracted litigations ensue, leading to various socioeconomic consequences.

Palatal Rugae as a Discriminating Factor in Determining Sex: A New Method Applicable in Forensic Odontology?

The purpose of this study is a new method that can help to identify the sex through the study of palatal rugae, comparing sagittal sections of the hard palate using Cartesian coordinates and evaluating the assistance given by digital technology and its applicability in this method. In this study, 57 digital impressions were examined and divided in two groups based on sex. Results: 2223 impression sections were studied and 145 coordinates that were present with a frequency greater than 50% in one or both groups were obtained: 52 discriminating traits (DT) in the male group, 29 discriminating traits in the female group, and 64 common traits (CT). The DTs in the female group showed no statistically significant difference from the same coordinates in the male one (p = 0.832). Statistically significant differences were observed in the DTs in the male group compared to the same coordinates in the female group (p = 0.018). No statistically significant differences were observed in the frequency of DTs in both sexes (p = 0.056). Further research in forensic odontology is needed to determine its scientific certainty. It is certain that digital technology may one day be a valuable support for the forensic odontologist but to date the lack of dedicated and certified programs limits its reliability.

Dental Anthropology Research Conducted at the School of Dentistry of the Universidad del Valle (Cali, Colombia) between 2002 and 2021: A Literature Review

In the last 20 years, the Dental Anthropology and Forensic Dentistry Research Group at the Universidad del Valle (Cali, Colombia) has integrated knowledge from anthropology, dentistry, biology, paleontology and paleopathology to characterize the dental morphology of living populations in southwestern Colombia. This has been done by studying the frequency and variability of dental morphological features in populations with different ancestries, including Euro-descendants, Afro-descendants and Native Americans. The group has employed strategies such as formative research and the creation of cooperative research networks to publish and disseminate their findings on dental morphology mainly within the Colombian dental clinical context. However, these studies have been limited in their impact on the international anthropological academic community due to a lack of publication in English and refusals from some specialized journals to publish research on contemporary Colombian populations. To address this issue, this article aims to provide a literature review of the research on dental anthropology carried out at the School of Dentistry of the Universidad del Valle (Cali, Colombia) between 2002 and 2021. Despite the high amount of available information, the results of this scientific research have been difficult to make visible, search, access, and recover.

Impacted Supernumerary Mandibular ‘Distomolar’ – An unique identification Tool in Forensic Crime Investigation

A supernumerary tooth is an odonto-stomatologic anomaly which is characterized by an excess number of teeth that are present compared to what is expected in the normal dentition. The prevalence rates of supernumerary teeth, reported in literature, varybetween 0.1% to 3.8% of the general population, and are seen more commonly in the permanent dentition. Due to this rarity,supernumerary teeth can be a useful tool in forensic odontology particularly focusing on identification and sorting of individuals both clinically and radiological assessment in forensic evaluation.

Dental Appointment Adherence Patterns in the College of Dentistry, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences: Insights From Electronic Dental Records.

Background The purpose of this study was to determine the pattern of dental appointment adherence in the College of Dentistry (COD), King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS). Methodology The electronic dental record SALUD (Two-Ten Health, Dublin, Ireland;n = 15,193) was used in this cross-sectional study.The primary outcome measure was adherence to dental appointments, categorized as attended, canceled by the patient, canceled by the school, or missed.Other variables of interest were demographic and appointment-related factors. Descriptive statistics were used to describe patterns of dental appointments.In addition, the proportion of check-in time for dental appointments among those who attended was calculated.For requested dental appointments among dental specialties, we calculated the percentage of booked, canceled, and rejected appointment requests for each specialty and compared the proportions across specialties. Results The proportion of attended dental appointments was 70.92% (10,775), with 9.14% (1,388) of appointments being missed and 16.70% (2,537) being canceled.Approximately 54% (5,765) of dental appointments were checked in on time.Approximately 77% (10,115) of dental appointment requests were scheduled. Pedodontics and orthodontics had the most scheduled appointments, while restorative dentistry had the most appointment requests. Conclusions The utilization of data from electronic dental records revealed a low rate of missed dental appointments. Identifying those who were late or skipped appointments was critical to determining the possible causes.

Photographic Identification of Tooth Prints After High Temperature Exposure

Tooth prints is a very potential tool in forensic identification as the enamel rod patterns on tooth surface is individually unique. This study was aimed to detect changes of tooth prints after teeth were exposed with high temperatures. Forty-five extracted teeth were divided into 5 groups, then exposed to various high temperatures for 15 minutes in a furnace. To ensure practical application, a highly reproducible digital photographic method to detect tooth prints was developed. Before and after the heating process, tooth prints were photographed. The image data was analysed using an open-source biometric software, and the number of matching points of each tooth was compared before and after treatment. Results showed the decreasing number of match points of tooth prints in accord with the increasing of temperature exposure (P &lt; 0.05). The number of tooth print matching points can be confidently observed at temperatures 600°C or lower. The consistence of matching points shows the prospect of tooth print analysis to become a reliable identification method. This digital photography technique offers a straightforward method for routine dental recording in daily practice by dentists and identification by forensic odontologists. It opens further direction for standardization of pattern analysis, database development, and daily protocols. Keywords: dental photography; forensic identification; high temperature; tooth prints