25^th American Dental Research & Future Dentistry

Forensic odontology is an evolving science with a superior scope of development. It has proven as an indispensable science in medico-legal matters and in the identification of the dead person. The dental tissues are preserved even if the deceased person is skeletonized, decomposed, burnt, or dismembered. Various methods have been developed to determine age, sex, and ethnicity of the person, using dental tissues. Data collection methods

and supplementary technologies used in forensic dental identification have undergone significant transformation. This article provides an overview of the evolving trends in conventional methods, and the recent concepts used in forensic odontology. Forensic dental identification plays a primary role

in the identification of remains when postmortem changes, traumatic tissue injury, or lack of fingerprint record invalidate the use of visual or fingerprint

method. In courts, dental evidence has been used for the past many years. The techniques used in forensic odontology has evolved through the evolution of

humankind. Forensic odontology has three major areas of use as follows: (1) diagnostic and therapeutic examination and evaluation of injuries to jaws,

teeth, and oral soft tissues (2) the identification of individuals, especially casualties in criminal investigations and/or mass disasters (3) identification,

examination, and evaluation of bite marks that occur with some frequency in sexual assaults, child abuse cases, and in personal defense situations. Dental tissues are often used to determine the age, sex, and ethnicity of a person who can either be a victim or a suspect.