Forensic Dentistry/Odontology
By: Jenny Kim
What is it?
What do they do?
The forensic dentist help in investigations to identify human remains such as teeth to identify the age and identification of who the teeth belong to.
Other evidence such as bite marks left on the victim can be crucial for these forensic dentist to evaluate so they can trace it back to a specific individual.
- Identify human remains by face recognition or fingerprints
- Identify the bodies in mass fatality
- Determine source of bite marks
- Estimate age
The Famous Bite mark Case!
Another example of the forensic odontologist will be needed is in a mass fatality such as a plane crash where identifying a victim could be difficult. Teeth samples are taken in to determine the age and who the individual could be.
Academic Requirements-
- Obtain a Bachelors Degree.
(Requires strong science background)
- Required to pass a (DAT) Dental Admissions Test
- Must earn Doctor of Dental Science or (DDS)
or a (DMD) Doctor of Dental Medicine.
To become board certified
Forensic dentist will than need to work 25 cases, earn 350 qualification points by going to meeting and pass an exam.
How common in the Forensic field?
CITATIONS
- "The Famous Bitemark Case - Ted Bundy- the Final Bitemark." The Famous Bitemark Case - Ted Bundy- the Final Bitemark. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2015. <https://sites.google.com/site/tedbundythelastbitemark/the-famous-bitemark-case>.
- "ExploreHealthCareers.org." Forensic Odontology. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2015. <http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/Career/126/Forensic_Odontology>.
- "Forensic Odontology." Forensic Odontology. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Aug. 2015. <http://www.forensic-medecine.info/forensic-odontology.html>.