Selfie smiles may aid forensic ID, say Dundee dental experts

Help for police in missing person cases

Selfies taken by missing persons before they disappear could prove key for future forensic dental identification, according to an expert studying at Dundee University.

Selfies showing teeth and gum shields are just some of the new dental identifiers to appear on a checklist designed to aid the police and forensic odontologists in missing persons cases.

The Dental Identification Record Checklist, which is the first of its kind, was developed by Dr Claire Sallis and her supervisor Dr Scheila Mânica at Dundee University’s School of Dentistry.

It aims to speed up the process of forensic identification by allowing police to request more dental by-products than ever before, such as bleaching trays or teeth moulds, and reminds police to check for supplementary evidence such as selfies that may portray the missing person’s teeth.

Working in collaboration with the British Association for Forensic Odontology and the UK Missing Persons Unit, Dr Sallis hopes the free checklist will reduce the time it takes for police to gather important evidence.

Dr Sallis said: “When a dentist places a filling, they will never make the same filling ever again in their lifetime. That’s how unique they are.

“It’s the role of forensic odontologists to identify the deceased by their teeth but this process can be frustrated by both general dentists and police not knowing exactly the types of evidence that could help speed up the process.”

A cheaper alternative to DNA-testing, Dr Sallis says teeth play a large part in identifying the missing or deceased.

She said: “In the UK we don’t have a national database of fingerprints unless you are a criminal; therefore, it is more likely an individual has attended their dentist than have had their prints taken.”

Dr Scheila Mânica will share secrets of teeth at Café Science at 7pm on September 16 at Medina Bar in Dundee.

Dr Claire Sallis of Dundee University School of Dentistry.