In most dental identification cases the dental restorations in the victims are used to establish a safe identity. Therefore, if no restorations are available in the mouth problems might arise. However, a radiographic identification can be used, when the anatomy of the teeth or the bone structures are used. Then it is important that the same angulation is used in the ante- and postmortem radiographs. If not, it can become a very difficult case to handle. In the future, this will probably be a growing problem in many countries, due to our improving oral health.

This is an identification case, with the involved young male having no 
restorations. The story starts a cold night in March downtown Stockholm. A middle-aged male is attacked by two young teenager boys, we can call them Frasse and Loppan. They are begging for money and when he refuses to give them any, they snatch his bag and set off from the place. Their escape way passes a high fence surrounding the stream in the central part of Stockholm. When Loppan climbs down, one of his feet gets caught. However he pulls himself free, but his head hits one post and he falls down on the ground and rolls unconscious into the water.

His friend Frasse and some by-passing human beings can see him being washed  away, partly with his head below the surface of the water. Rescue divers are called upon and they search together with the Police, but it is impossible to find Loppan. The water is very rapid-flowing here. Frasse is taken in charge, he has escaped from a foster home and is wanted by the Police.

One Saturday morning, two months later this case gets its unravelling. Some human beings make a couple of policemen on patrol duty aware of a body in the water. The body is soon brought to the quay and it is a male body, which probably has been in the water for a long time. In places seeweeds cover the body. The police estimate the length to about 185 cm and the head is covered by a dark hair. They estimate the age to only around 20 years old, the growth of the beard seems to be slow.
The body is dressed in six (!) t-shirts and in one of these the name Loppan is written. The face cannot be recognized of course, due to putrefaction. During our postmortem examination we can see that all teeth are intact from second molar to second molar in both jaws. The tooth 17 is delayed in its eruption and all third molars are still retained in the jaws. The root development in the third molars has recently started, indicating an age of about 14-15 years. The police succeds to find Lopppan's dentist and we get a couple of radiographs from a Public Dental Clinic. In these images the delayed 17 can be recognized and we take postmortem radiographs and can establish a safe identity. The case is solved without any doubt.