The Role of Forensic Dentistry in Cause of Death Investigations and Toxic Substances Found in Teeth

<p>Forensic dentistry is a relatively new research field established in 1964 as a study specializing in "personal identification" in forensic medicine. The Basic Act on Promotion of Cause of Death Investigation, which came into force in April 2020, comprehensively and systematically promotes measures for investigating the cause of death (investigation of the cause of death and identification). Forensic dentistry is in charge of enhancing the scientific investigation of cadavers for dental identification, which is one of the basic measures of the law, and developing a database for identification. For identification by teeth, postmortem dental charts are prepared by collecting intraoral findings of unidentified corpses with the naked eye and radiographs. On the other hand, borrowed the medical records and X-ray photographs stored at the family dental clinic where we had seen patients, and created an anti-mortem dental chart. The charts are compared and collated, and if the findings match, the affirmative decision is made. If the findings do not match, it is determined whether the findings are inconsistent by considering the passage of time, etc., and finally the possibility of the same person is determined. Recently, the development and improvement of equipment have been vigorously pursued for the purpose of digitizing intraoral photographs and thorough infection control. In addition, a project is underway to register the contents of medical records as part of the construction of an anti-mortem database. In addition, the expression of toxic substances found in teeth is also effective for identification, such as mottled teeth found in areas where drinking water contains high concentrations of fluoride, and the use of tetracycline antibiotics during the period of tooth formation. Tooth discoloration is typical, and these are called” Tooth Wear”.</p>