Interactive Sessions
1 : "Dental Detectives – Solving Mysteries & Crimes from the Investigation of Teeth" by Dr. Ashith B. Acharya
Forensic odontology or forensic dentistry is the dental counterpart of forensic medicine and is a niche field of dentistry. Teeth are the strongest structures in the body and their resistance allows for its use in a variety of crimes, including identification of murder victims whose face may be disfigured. Teeth may also be used in age estimation, which may be required to determine age of majority (more than or equal to 18 years) or in child labour cases (less than or more than or equal to 14 years). In post-mortem scenarios when a skull is recovered with no clue about its identity, apart from the age assessment, the sex may also be ascertained from the teeth. Also, very importantly, teeth may be used as weapons of violence resulting in the infliction of injuries called bite marks in sex crimes or violent fights. Bite marks can be linked to the suspected biter which in turn can implicate the perpetrator in the crime.
Dr. Ashith B. Acharya is an Australia-trained forensic odontologist and heads India’s first exclusive department of forensic odontology in S.D.M. College of Dental Sciences, Dharwad. He teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students, and serves as a consultant in forensic dental cases referred by the police and forensic medical experts from across India. In a career spanning 15 years, he has delivered more than 80 guest lectures. A keen researcher, he has written over 40 journal articles, more than 30 of which have appeared in top international forensic and dental journals.