Impacted Supernumerary Mandibular ‘Distomolar’ – An unique identification Tool in Forensic Crime Investigation

Abstract

A supernumerary tooth is an odonto-stomatologic anomaly which is characterized by an excess number of teeth that are present compared to what is expected in the normal dentition. The prevalence rates of supernumerary teeth, reported in literature, varybetween 0.1% to 3.8% of the general population, and are seen more commonly in the permanent dentition.  Due to this rarity,supernumerary teeth can be a useful tool in forensic odontology particularly focusing on identification and sorting of individuals both clinically and radiological assessment in forensic evaluation.