forensic- odontology
by Leif Kullman
A review from the horizon of a Swedish Fair 1997
Recently all Swedish dentist had their annual meeting and congress at the International Fair in Älvsjö. The responsibility for the lecture program during this meeting is shared between the Swedish Dental Society and the different existing Societies for Specialists (or other main subjects, not acknowledged as specialties). One of these societies is the Swedish Society of Forensic Odontology, which I have told you about, in my monthly letter in July 1997. Every year our Society use to have a program covering one day.
This year the society had two half days with different contents. The first one was titled " What use do we have of our computers in the clinic; Today-Tomorrow and the Day after tomorrow?" Chairman for this symposium was Håkan Mörnstad, who is chairman in our Swedish Society. The lecturers, beside myself were Bengt Sundström DDS, PhD, Uno Fors DDS, PhD and Anders Sundh, DDS.
Uno was the first speaker, he is today working in the computer department at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm. He was supposed to talk about all kinds of existing dental software. It could be software creating economical plans and managing claims. Or for recalling patients and of course for writing treatment record. Systems with an ability to store both clinical and radiographic examinations together with the other records. Or to measure periodontal pockets. The working platform should of course be Windows based today. Another facility that the systems might contain or have a possibility to connect to is a CAD-CAM system (see downunder). An important demand on all system in the future will be that they must have a potential to cooperate with other systems and software. The conclusion, however; of the lecture of Uno was that today we have no system capable of all these facilities. But that many manufacturers are working on interesting projects.
Anders was the next one to speak. He is a dentist but spend today a lot of time with his business firm, selling dental CAD CAM equipments. He presented common things for different dental CAD-CAM applications. The abbreviation CAD-CAM stands for computer aided drafting/design and computer aided manufacturing/modeling. The method is mostly used within the prosthodontic speciality in odontology. After preparating a tooth for a new crown or inlay, the tooth is scanned with a camera. A connected microprocessor unit stores the created three-dimensional pattern, which also is depicted on a monitor. From this the inlay or crown can be directly manufactured of the unit and dentist, from a standard ceramic block.
The system makes it thus possible to generate a restoration without taking impressions. No temporary prostheses need to be made, and no laboratory assistance is necessary. Another advantage is that with a time-sharing technique like this a CAD-CAM unit can help to avoid lengthy appointments.
When it was my turn, I related some of my thoughts about digital imaging and teledentistry. Both these subjects have I presented before in my ODIS-messages (see my monthly messages from December 1997 and September, October and December 1996).
The last speaker was Bengt. He is also a dentist but above all the founder, and first and present Director, of the Lund University Center for Interactive Video, UCIV. This Center was created in 1989 through private donations and is placed at the faculty of odontology in Malmö. The activity at the Center today has its focus on Internet based, global information systems; in particular the World Wide Web. UCIV hosts Gopher, WAIS and W3 servers. The unit functions as a Resource Center for seminars on networked information technology and for the continuing development of applications related to its own working paradigms; the latter centering around open, database supported Web/CGI systems for educational support.
Bengt presented some visions for computers in the future with special considerations for the dentist and finished the whole session well with his great belief in our IT-future. His lecture encompassed a short WEB visit by means of a netconnected computer and a PC-overhead.
During the last day of the congress the second symposium/ course was held. One of the main aim of our Swedish Society is to train our members so that they can assist if a large accident happens with many victims. The intention with this half-day course was to shortly rehearse older courses in personal identification held by the Society during the years. The lecturers was once again Håkan Mörnstad and myself and also Aina Teivens, DDS and treasurer in our Society. Besides some reports of individual identification cases some practical identification work from the Estonia disaster was reported. The following topics were also included in the program:
Principles for personal identification.
The Interpol report forms (should be used above all in
international cases. The forms have been made in cooperation
among the Interpol countries)
The computerized DVI (disaster victim identification) program of
Interpole.
In my message next month I will discuss the importance to mark dentures with for example the social security number of the wearer.
Leif Kullman
