Goa to make foray into forensic dentistry

 The Dental Council of India has approved a three-year master of dental surgery (MDS) course in forensic dentistry.

Forensic dentistry or forensic odontology is the proper handling, examination and evaluation of dental evidence.

"The proposal to have MDS in forensic dentistry has been approved by the Dental Council of India at a meeting on May 14 at Chandigarh. The proposal will now be sent to the central government for an issuance of notification," said Dr Ajit Dinkar, professor at Goa Dental College, who is also a member of Dental Council of India.

Dental Council of India is a statutory body incorporated to regulate dental education and the profession of dentistry throughout India.

Dr Dinkar explained that forensic dentistry is the need of the hour and there are hardly any qualified forensic dentists in the country. Forensic dentists are responsible for six main areas of practice which include identification of human remains, identification in mass fatalities, assessment of bite mark injuries, assessment of cases of abuse (child, spousal, elderly) and age estimation.

The evidence that may be derived from teeth is age (in children) and identification of the person to whom the teeth belong. This is done using dental records including radiographs, antemortem (prior to death) and postmortem photographs and DNA. "In Goa, we get several cases of drowning deaths, which are referred to us for forensic dentistry," said Dr Dinkar.

The other type of evidence is that of bite marks left on either the victim (by the attacker), the perpetrator (from the victim of an attack), or on an object found at the crime scene. Bite marks are often found on children who are abused.