A pathologist's guide to forensic odontology identification

Abstract

Identification of the deceased is an important standard of a civilized society, and dental identification has long been regarded as reliable and accurate. Historically, forensic dentistry (odontology) has been documented since AD 50, where records show that the battered remains of Emperor Nero's mistress was identified by her teeth. Forensic odontology is practiced by dental surgeons with additional postgraduate education, training, and experience in, amongst other things, dental identification of the deceased in single- and multiple-fatality incidents by comparing postmortem with antemortem dental features.