Developmental anomalies of teeth and their applications in forensic odontology

Forensic odontologists are often part of disaster victim identification teams that help in establishing the identity of victims. There may be situations when forensic odontologists get summoned to establish or confirm identities of victims after mass disasters whose identities cannot be established by any other means, identify individuals in crime scenes, or even be used as corroborative evidence. The primary objective of a forensic odontologist at a disaster site/crime scene is to establish the identity of a deceased victim by comparing ante-mortem and post-mortem records. The objective of this article is to briefly explain the clinical and radiological features of developmental dental anomalies and associated syndromes and highlight their role in victim identification. The authors emphasize the roles of dental practitioners and forensic odontologists in victim identification by examining and recording dental features that may assist in establishing the identity of deceased individuals during disasters or otherwise.