When they identify dead people from dental records, how do they know which practice, or indeed in which country to look for the records? How does it work?
by 
lady fuschia
ANSWERS: 2
-
They start with more readily identifiable traits and narrow down the possible matches with known to be missing persons. Only then do they go futher by getting dental records from family(who would know where to get dental records from)to match up.
-
Such identifications are usually only when they have some idea of who it might be. They tend to be more often to verify that the body is who they think it is, or after something like an aircraft crash to decide which body is which. If they find a completely unexpected body, they will check against records of known missing people, but otherwise they cannot make such an identification. The way it works is fairly straightforward, There are 32 teeth, and in each tooth there can be one of about six or eight different named styles of filling. For example, the molars at the back have four bumps, and any combination of the four can be replaced by metal - or ceramic. And you can have root canal treatment, crowns, bridges etc. While obviously certain patterns will be quite common, the number of possible combinations is enormous - and the pattern for any individual can be easily described by a dentist.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC