Information technology in forensic odontology

Forenzična stomatologija grana je stomatologije koja se bavi pregledom zubnih nalaza te odgovarajućim procjenama i prezentiranjem dentalnih dokaza u svrhu identifikacije ili procjene dentalne dobi. U forenzičnoj stomatologiji identifikacija žrtve temelji se na klasičnim metodama usporedbe prijesmrtnih dentalnih podataka prikupljenih iz stomatološke dokumentacije s poslijesmrtnim dentalnim nalazom utvrđenim pregledom žrtve. Posljednjih godina sve veću ulogu ima digitalizacija vizualnih zapisa koja omogućuje njihovu kvalitetniju obradu, pohranjivanje i prijenos računalnom mrežom. Suvremeni uređaji omogućuju izravan digitalni zapis, primjerice, digitalni fotografski aparat i digitalni zubni karton, no i postojeći se analogni zapisi mogu pretvoriti u digitalne. Od velike su koristi u identifikaciji razni računalni programi koji olakšavaju i ubrzavaju identifikaciju žrtava, posebice u masovnim stradavanjima (Thai tsunami, teroristički napad na WTC u New Yorku). Ti programi sadrže sve informacije o žrtvama unesenim u sustav, generiraju listu najvećih podudaranja kartona žrtava te ubrzavaju proces njihove usporedbe. Najpoznatiji među sustavima za identifikaciju žrtava masovnih stradanja upravo je DVI sustav identifikacije poznat kao Plass Data sustav.Forensic dentistry is a branch of dentistry that deals with the proper handling and examination of dental evidence and the appropriate assessment and presentation of dental evidence that serve as a guideline in identification or estimation of one’s dental age. In forensic dentistry victim identification is based on classical methods of comparing ante-mortem dental data collected from dental records with post-mortem dental findings determined by examining the victim. In recent years the role of the digitalization of visual records has increased since it enables better processing of these records, their storage and their transmission via a computer network. Modern devices, such as digital cameras and digital dental records, enable direct digital recording but existing analog records can be converted to digital as well. When it comes to identification, various computer programs that facilitate and expedite victim identification, especially in mass casualty incidents (for example the 2004 Thai tsunami and the terrorist attacks on the WTC in New York City) showed very useful. These programs contain all the information about the victims entered into the system, they generate a list of the best matches of the victims’ medical records, and they speed up the process of comparing them. The best known among the systems for the identification of victims of mass casualty incidents is the DVI identification system, also known as the Plass Data System