ROLE OF ODONTOLOGY IN DETERMINATION OF IDENTITY IN FORENSIC SCIENCE- AN OVERVIEW

Human identification is one of the most challenging subjects that man has been confronted with. The role of forensic odontology has increased in contri buting in this regard as very often teeth and denta l restoration are the only means of identification. D ental identification of humans occurs for a number of different reasons and situations like mass disaster s (aviation, earthquakes, tsunamis), in crime investigations and in case of disfigured bodies due to fire and motor vehicle accidents. The various methods employed in forensic odontology include radiographs, antemortem & postmortem photographs, tooth prints, rugoscopy (study of pala tal rugae patterns), chieloscopy (study of lip prin ts) and molecular methods like polymerase chain reaction for pulp DNA analysis. The investigative methods applied in forensic odontology are reasonab ly reliable, yet the shortcomings must be accounted for to make it a more meaningful and relevant proce dure.