Forensic odontology is a specialized field of dentistry that focuses on the analysis of dental evidence to help police identify human remains. It is a highly sought-after profession, and there are several professional organizations dedicated to it. The American Board of Forensic Odontology (ABFO) is one such organization, comprised of nationally and internationally recognized experts. It is accredited by the Forensic Specialty Accreditation Board (FSAB) and offers certifications to qualified dentists.
Forensic dentists use their skills to determine the age, sex, race, occupation, and social status of the deceased. They can help identify buried bodies or victims of burns, attend autopsies, testify in court cases, and gather evidence. The ABFO website offers tutorials on various forensic science topics and links to other online forensic resources. Teething is particularly valuable in forensic identification, since recording patient and treatment history can provide coincidental evidence that allows positive identification. The American Academy of Forensic Sciences is another organization whose members are comprised of doctors, lawyers, scientific technicians, and other medical professionals working in the forensic sciences.
The Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine is an organization of forensic pathologists in Victoria, Australia.
Forensic dentistry has traditionally been dedicated to the analysis of bite marks
, which can provide identifiable information about an aggressor who may have left an imprint on the previous dentition that could match dental records. The museum organizes an annual course on forensic anthropology that provides an overview of the practice of forensic anthropology, which deals with the scientific recovery, analysis and identification of human remains in the medico-legal context. While it is the responsibility of the forensic dentist to analyze and describe the unidentified remains, they trust practicing dentists to provide accurate and complete dental records as proof of suspected identification or to rule out tentative coincidences. The Canadian Society for Forensic Sciences provides resources for forensic professionals inside and outside Canada. The Association of Forensic Scientists of the Southwest is an organization of forensic professionals based in the Southwest.Insurance companies, hospitals, child protection agencies and other public or private organizations can also offer forensic dentistry jobs. The International Association of Forensic Nurses is an international organization of nurses who specialize in forensic medicine. In response to this professional mandate, the American Board of Forensic Dentistry was organized in 1976 under the auspices of the National Institute of Justice. The American Board of Forensic Document Examiners is the certifying body for the examination of forensic documents.
