odontology
by Leif Kullman
Computer based identifications
of human remains
Last month I promised to discuss a little about future possibilities for computer based identifications of human remains. Computers and different kinds of softwares are already in worldwide use in Forensic Odontology and in Sweden we have such a computer program, in which the antemortem (from the dental records) and postmortem (from the body) recordings can be registered. The ante- and postmortem data are put in separate databases and the computer helps us to select candidates with a possible match. Searching by means of the computer can be done on e.g. a single filling in a specific surface found postmortem in a body. The searching is then performed against the database containing all the antemortem records.
Of course it is also possible to ask the computer if a specific tooth is missing or not or to search about the condition of several teeth simultaneously. One rare or very characteristic filling is often enough to select a couple of possible candidates. The program is made in both a Swedish and an English version and is adopted to the forms for Identification of disaster victim, newly agreed upon by Interpol.
There are two main situations when this program is used in Sweden. At first in mass disaster identification. Traditionally, in every missing person a dental signalement has to be registered and an antemortem form written. In every victim of the disaster postmortem dental findings must be checked and the postmortem form has to be written in a particular form. After that, a matching between the "graphichal view" of all missing persons have to be "manually optical" compared with the same of all victims. In earlier aircraft disasters there have been situations where the whole floor in e.g a hangar has been filled with these forms. It is not hard to understand that in disasters with a large number of victims, the identification process will be much faster if all cases can be registered, sorted and compared with the aid of a computer. However finally, to establish a safe identification, an ordinary manual comparison by a forensic odontologist is performed. During this procedure every existing postmortem tooth must be compared with the antemortem registrations. If the ante- or postmortem material was very small, radiographs must often be taken and used. A single antemortem radiographs is often enough to establish an identification if an postmortem is taken of the same tooth area.
Our second situation using the same software concerns information about misssing persons. Last month I described a case when the skeleton of a missing military was found several years after his death. Thanks to this registering an identification could be performed. Since 1987 the Swedish police has new instruction about the procedure of collecting information about disappered human beings. Besides the usual police description (length, hair colour and so on), they also try to obtain the name of the doctor and dentist that the missing person visited. These are contacted and asked to submit relevant medical and dental recordings to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine inStockholm. The dentists are prompted to submit all material, it can be written records, photographs, radiographs or dental casts. The dental records are then stored in our antemortem database. When dead bodies, without any indication of the identity are found somewhere in Sweden, as happens about 20 or 30 times every year, it is possible to make a comparison.
This computerbased matching is not limited to disappeared Swedish citizens. Scandinavian police cooperation gives also the forensic odontologists information about missing persons in the other countries with dental findings included. Hopefully the same cooperation within the Interpol countries can be established in the future. To summarize and to answer the question we forwarded last time, computer technology has also invaded forensic Odontology matters, especially identification of unknown dead persons. However most existing softwares will only suggest different possible candidates in an identification case. To establish a safe and final identification the Forensic Odontologist is still necessary.
Next month:
Next month I will tell you a little more what a National Identification Commission is and how they possibly will work in the future.
Leif Kullman
