Palatoscopy: A way to discover victim’s identity in mass disaster

Abstract

Forensic dentistry or odontologyis the implementation of the knowledge regarding the dentalaspects in criminal cases and mass disaster where individual identification is done by the individual’s dental records. Palatoscopy is one of the method for DVI (disaster victim identification) used in forensics. The principal behind identification via dental records lies in the fact that no two oral cavities are same. Hence the teeth, rugae, any pathologies or anomalies are unique to an individual. In this article we will discuss about Palatoscopy, its role in DVI and why it is preferred. Keywords: Forensic odontology, Palatoscopy, Disaster victim identification, Rugae.