Dental identification of unknown bodies.

Dental identification of unknown bodies is a well known and widely used method of identification and is especially valuable when other means of identification such as visual recognition and finger prints are not possible. Traditionally, dental identification essentially depends on a comparison of the dental restorations present in the teeth of the deceased with the dental records of a missing person. Difficulties are encountered in some cases when either or both of these elements are not sufficiently available to permit reliable identification. Serious damage to or complete destruction of restorations and disintegration of dental tissues as the result of extreme environmental changes, failure to recover all teeth and their included restorations, and incomplete dental records may frustrate the identification process. An ominous challenge to dental identification however, is the result of the dramatic improvement in dental health in many countries due to the implementation of public health measures such as fluoridation with a consequent reduction in dental caries and restorations. This paper offers some suggestions which may help to overcome some of these difficulties and explores some applications of new technology to the problems of dental identification in the future.