IMPORTÂNCIA DA DOCUMENTAÇÃO ORTODÔNTICA PARA ANÁLISE ODONTOLÓGICA E RUGOSCÓPICA FORENSES: RELATO DE CASO

Abstract

Introduction: The forensic dentistry expertise for human identification is based on the wide variety of individualizing characteristics of dental arches. In addition, dental elements are the most stable, hard, and resistant structures of the human body. In cases of carbonization, fingerprinting is usually not feasible and Forensic Dentistry becomes a fast and low-cost alternative, dispensing with DNA testing to identify victims. Objective: To report an expert case in which a charred corpse was identified by the forensic dentistry method using intraoral clinical photographs produced ante mortem. Case report: In 2020, a car accident victim followed by fire was examined for cause of death and human identification. Papilloscopy and facial recognition tests could not determine the identity of the charred corpse. The dental analysis showed the presence of orthodontic retention in the oral cavity of the expert. As Orthodontics is a specialty that routinely produces complete medical records, due to the complexity and duration of treatments, and constituting one of the best dental documentation that the expert can use for forensic dentistry identification, the search for possible family members was awaited. The dental examination compared post-mortem data with intraoral clinical photographs produced in 2012, pointing out numerous similarities and no incompatibilities, which allowed the positive identification of the victim. Conclusion: The intraoral photographs was of fundamental importance for the fast, safe, and unchallenged identification, both because of the wealth of information contained in the images, and because it was properly filed with the dental surgeon who assisted the victim in life.