Awareness of forensic odontology among undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate dental students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: A knowledge-, attitude-, and practice-based study

Awareness of forensic dentistry among dental professionals in western Saudi Arabia: A knowledge, attitude, and practice-based cross-sectional study

The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge, attitude, practice, and self-reported record for a list of items that are useful to forensic dentistry (FD) among dental professionals from the western region of Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional survey was conducted among 406 dental health professionals. A pre-validated questionnaire written in Google Forms was used as a study tool. The questionnaire contained 4 parts: 1 - demographics; 2 - knowledge about FD; 3 - the attitudes; 4 - assessing dental record maintenance. Statistical data were analyzed using Pearson chi-square (χ2). The degree distribution amongst 406 respondents was: 64 bachelors; 162 masters; 180 Doctor of Philosophy (PhDs). 52% of respondents agreed that dentists should have enough knowledge about FD. Yet, 90.4% did not receive any training. All qualifications were aware of FD with no significant difference between groups (P = .06). According to degree, a significant difference between the 3 groups (P = .004), where a bachelor degree showed the least desire in testimony in court for FD evidence (50%) compared to master and PhD degrees (80%, 75%, respectively). Almost 56% of consultants reported that it is not primarily for the dentist to have a good knowledge of FD, while all other qualifications agreed to the opposite (66%). 55.4% of general dentists, 73% of residents, and 94% of consultants believed that FD is an accurate, sensitive, and reliable method in the identification of unknown victims or criminals. Our study revealed that there is a lack of knowledge, attitude, and practice among undergraduates and general dental practitioners. However, this scenario can be upgraded by the inclusion of FD in the dental curriculum in Saudi Arabia.

Role of Forensic Odontology in Identification of Persons: A Review Article

Forensic dentistry plays a pivotal role in identifying deceased individuals when visual or other means of identification are not possible, particularly in the aftermath of mass disasters or criminal activities. Accurate and timely identification of the deceased and injured becomes crucial following events like earthquakes, fires, transport accidents, gunshot incidents, floods, tsunamis, bomb blasts, and terrorist attacks. The process of creating a person's identity is a formidable task, often relying on prevalent methods such as dental, DNA, and fingerprint analyses. Forensic odontology, a specialized field within dentistry, assumes a significant role in identifying individuals in accidents, civil unrest, natural and mass disasters, and crimes related to genocide. In cases where natural teeth are absent, the marking or labeling of dentures becomes essential for personal identification. Teeth's resilience to destruction and decomposition makes dental identification feasible even under extreme conditions. The fundamental principle of forensic dentistry rests on the uniqueness of each individual's oral structure, emphasizing that no two mouths are identical, not even in the case of twins. The purpose of this review is to explore the role of forensic dentistry in identifying individuals through various methods such as denture labeling, cheiloscopy, radiographs, bite mark analysis, rugoscopy, salivary signature, age and sex estimation, dental DNA identification, individual characteristics, and denture marking. Based on detailed ante-mortem records from dental specialists, which are compared to postmortem data during investigations, forensic dentistry is a trustworthy technique for identifying deceased individuals and criminals.

Awareness of Forensic Odontology among Dental Students and Faculty in Cyprus: A Survey-Based Study

This study aimed to evaluate the awareness, comprehension, and practices concerning forensic odontology among dental students and faculty at a Dental School in Cyprus. An online, cross-sectional, descriptive survey, employing an adapted, self-administered questionnaire, was disseminated to all dental students and faculty at the School of Dentistry, European University Cyprus, in November 2022. The survey assessed participants' demographic information and explored their awareness with questions alluding to knowledge, attitudes and practices in forensic dentistry. Of those surveyed, 47 faculty members and 304 students responded, yielding response rates of 66.2% and 80%, respectively. Statistical analysis, including Kendall's tau test and χ2 test were employed to examine correlations and associations, with Cramer's V used to measure the strength of significant associations. The predetermined significance level was α = 0.05. Awareness levels were assessed through participants' responses to specific questions in the survey. It was revealed that 87% of faculty and 65% of students were familiar with forensic odontology. A noteworthy 94% of faculty and 85% of students recognized teeth as DNA repositories. A high percentage, 98% of faculty and 89% of students, acknowledged the role of forensic odontology in the identification of criminals and deceased individuals. Awareness of age estimation through dental eruption patterns was evident in 85% of faculty and 81.6% of students. A substantial proportion (80% of faculty) maintained dental records, while 78% of students recognized the importance of dental record-keeping in ensuring quality care. Interestingly, 57% of students and 64% of faculty were aware of the possibility of dentists testifying as expert witnesses. The majority, 95.7% of faculty and 85% of students, concurred that physical harm, scars, and behavioral alterations predominantly indicate child abuse. The findings, revealing robust awareness among respondents, underscore the importance of enhancing faculty engagement in relevant seminars to further strengthen their knowledge. Additionally, emphasizing improved record-keeping practices for potential forensic applications emerges as a crucial aspect. These insights have implications for refining dental education in Cyprus and enhancing forensic practices by promoting ongoing professional development and emphasizing meticulous record-keeping within the dental community.

Undergraduate dental students and their potential role in disaster victim identification procedures: A scoping review under a Chilean perspective

BACKGROUND

A mass fatality incident is an unexpected event that can cause the death of many people, which has motivated careful analysis and development of appropriate strategies for planning and response with all available resources. As these events involve multiple victims, their identities must be confirmed using the highest possible quality standards. Forensic Odontology (FO) has proven to be a scientific resource for disaster victim identification (DVI) procedures; however, it is highly dependent on the proper management not only of material resources but also of human resources. Chile is a country recognised as prone to natural disasters, but an insufficient number of forensic odontologists has been reported. The aim of the study was to review the literature on a dental undergraduate (UG) student's potential value in a DVI process.

METHODOLOGY

A scoping review was performed using a specific search strategy in PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, SciELO and EBSCO databases.

RESULTS

The search identified 27 articles in which the basic dental degree, the necessary training and the need for human resources are variables considered in different priorities by those articles.

DISCUSSION

It is vital to assess the local needs of Chile based on its UGs, considering that FO is an underestimated resource that should be included early on in dental curriculums. Furthermore, it should align with public policies to ensure viability and inclusion in standardised protocols.

CONCLUSION

Although there is "potential" usage of UG dental students in DVI is not ideal, circumstances will dictate their use. The better trained they are as students, the more valuable their "potential" contribution will be.

A Questionnaire-Based Study to Assess Knowledge and Awareness Regarding Cheiloscopy as a Forensic Odontology Diagnostic Tool Among Dental Professionals

Background: The lips are covered with grooves and wrinkles, which form a characteristic pattern called a "lip print. The study of lip prints is called cheiloscopy. Searching for lip prints in the crime scene investigation helps in personnel identification and establishment of the true nature of the crime. Objective: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and awareness of cheiloscopy among dental undergraduates, postgraduate students, and general dental practitioners. Materials and methods : This cross-sectional observational, descriptive, survey-based study was conducted among 320 dental professionals, which included undergraduates, graduates, postgraduate dental students, and general dental practitioners aged between 18 and 32 years. A self-administered structured questionnaire written in English and Arabic was distributed to all willing participants. The questionnaire included knowledge and awareness-based questions along with demographic details of the participants. The Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were applied to find out the association between the characteristics of the study participants and their knowledge and awareness of forensic odontology. A p-value of 0.05 was considered significant for all the statistical tests using IBM Corp. Released 2017. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. Results: A total of 320 dental professionals completed the survey. The majority of participants (55.3%) were males (and 14.4% were females) between the ages of 23 and 27. Most of the participants were general dental practitioners (36.9%), followed by undergraduates (26.3%), graduates (8.8%), and postgraduates (18.1%). Cheiloscopy, the study of lip prints, was known to 36.6% of the participants. Whereas the majority of the participants (63.4%) were not aware of it. Postgraduate (46.7%) students had more knowledge as compared to undergraduates, graduates, and general dental practitioners. About 81.6% of the participants were not aware of the classification of lip prints by Tsuchihashi and Suzuki. Conclusion:Overall, there was a lack of knowledge and awareness of cheiloscopy among all study participants, although they had good knowledge of forensic odontology. Compared to undergraduates and graduates, postgraduate dentistry students showed a greater level of cheiloscopy knowledge and awareness. Comparatively to students, general dentists, however, lacked understanding and awareness of cheiloscopy. This condition, however, can be improved if necessary steps are taken to make forensic odontology a part of the dental curriculum in Saudi Arabia.

Forensic Odontology: Knowledge and Attitude of Dental Students in Ajman University, United Arab Emirates

Aims:

The aims of this study were to assess dental students’ knowledge and attitude with regard to forensic odontology and to determine students’ opinions in the current dental curriculum.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study was conducted among dental students at one of the main dental colleges in the United Arab Emirates; only dental students on their final year and internship were invited to participate. An online self-administrated questionnaire was used, which consisted of a set of 15 questions. All the data were entered into Microsoft Excel and then transferred into SPSS.

Results:

A total of 276 dental students contributed to this study. The highest percentage of correct responses stated by the students was related to the estimation of individuals’ age and estimation of dental age based on radiograph and eruption status. However, there were clear deficiencies in students’ knowledge in relation to other aspects such as gender identification and lip-print, palatal rugae as an indicator in forensic identification. A high percentage (84.8%) had no formal education in the field of forensic odontology. Moreover, 93.1% of the students agreed that their present knowledge about forensic odontology is inadequate. Most of the participants (95.0%) agreed upon the necessity of adding a module on forensic odontology to the current curriculum.

Conclusion:

Our study revealed inadequate knowledge among dental students in relation to forensic odontology. This lack of knowledge among them attributed to the lack of formal training, and lack of forensic odontology as a part of dental curriculum. Forensic odontology must be added to the undergraduate curriculum as a separate subject to enrich students’ knowledge and awareness toward medico-legal cases in their future careers.