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The skills

What about the products?

Believe it or not, many of the products used in the field are the same ones you might use in the operatory.

“When we take an impression of the skin of a victim, we use the same impression material you would use in the mouth,” Freeman says. X-rays also are important and, “now with digital x-ray and portable units such as the Nomad from Aribex, we can go out in the field and take x-rays anywhere we want.”

If you’re looking for simple ways to help patients prepare for unexpected emergencies, you should consider these three options:

Toothprints: Available from Septodont, this dental ID system created by pediatric dentist Dr. David Tesini, captures the unique tooth characteristics of a child as well as DNA through a simple impression process, with no special requirements for long-term storage.

Tooth ID System: The K Art Dental Studio, a dental lab in Commack, NY, is doing their part to reduce the difficulties of identifying human remains by imprinting a patient’s personal information on a crown. Their name or social security number is applied and, according the manufacturer, is heat resistant and will remain in tact.

I-Denti-Fied: Currently available through only a handful of certified dentists and dental labs, the I-DENTI-TAG Passive RFID Transponder is implanted in a denture, partial denture or dental prosthesis. The dental office staff can then help the patient register for the Personal Health Record and input their tag number.

Medical records can all be stored as part of that profile which the patient can then synchronize with a portable USB PHR Device that they can carry with them for non-emergency settings. In an emergency, authorized first responders and medical personnel use a special reader to scan the I-DENTI-TAG and positively identify the patient.

While passion and temperament are the types of things that should be innate, not taught, to the forensic dentist, the basic skill set necessary to get started is one that the average GP.

“Every dentist out there has the ability to do some level of forensic dentistry,” says Freeman. “Most dental schools teach very little of it; they only give an introduction, but if you look at most dentists, they can pick up an x-ray and identify Mr. or Mrs. So-and-So. It’s all about pattern recognitions and what teeth look like.”

Hygienists also are equipped to be of service on forensic dentistry teams. “Hygienists already possess the education and expertise to expose radiographs, chart dentition and oral anomalies. We are meticulous in record keeping, information gathering, dealing with colleagues and the public, and possess extraordinary ethical and professional traits,” Furnari asserts. “And, of course, there are courses available for those who wish to gain in-depth knowledge in this field.”

There are many one-day courses being given at conferences around the country. The California Dental Association, as part of an effort to engage its members to be first-responders for potential emergencies, they invited Dr. Joyce Galligan, the first dentist on the Los Angeles Medical Reserve Corp., to present a course titled, “CDA Presents: The Art and Science of Dentistry.” At the first course this past May, she reviewed the basics of being a first responder and triage officer, as well as how local, state and federal agencies may utilize dental professionals during a disaster.

In addition to joining the ASFO¬ – which provides numerous educational opportunities – Berman suggests interested dental professionals look at some of the more focused, longer courses such as:

  • Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
  • University of Detroit Mercy Dental School, Forensic Dentistry in the Medical Examiners Office – 4-day course
  • University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Dentistry Annual Bitemark Workshop – 4-day course

But the premier program in the country, one that Freeman describes as offering a more “formalized education” for the specialty, takes place at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Dental School under the direction of Dr. David Senn, the Director of the Center for Education and Research in Forensics, the current president of the ABFO, and one of the foremost experts on forensic dentistry in the country. The program only takes four people a year, and that small group participates in a 14-month-long fellowship that requires them to come down for a long weekend every six weeks or so. For more information, visit www.utforensic.org/fellowship.asp.

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