Unilateral segmental odontomaxillary dysplasia: A rare entity of 3 cases and review.

Segmental odontomaxillary dysplasia (SOD) is an uncommon, nonhereditary, rare developmental disorder primarily involving the posterior part of the maxilla and related dental components. It is a rare condition of uncertain etiology that results in painless unilateral expansion of the posterior dentoalveolar complex, gingival hyperplasia, lack of one or both premolars in the affected area, delayed eruption of adjacent teeth and malformations of the primary molars. Radiographically, the affected bone is thickened and irregular in outline, with a coarse trabecular pattern that is vertically oriented resulting in a relatively radioopaque granular appearance. The treatment is focused on extraction of the involved teeth, while in some milder cases the teeth may be retained for a long period. The treatment plan should be based on the degree of involvement as well as the functional and esthetic needs in each case. Considering the rarity of the condition, we report three cases of SOD with variable presentations in a 45-year-old, 24-year-old and 23-year-old individual.

Application of genetics and molecular biology in forensic odontology.

Various methods of Forensic Science have been applied to solve many mysteries of world including criminal investigation. Forensic odontology researches are usually associated to the dentist‘s field of action by using bite marks, dental records and radiographs plays an important role in solving many crimes. These methods help in age determination and sex identification of the people who have lost their identity after death. Nevertheless, since the development of genetics and molecular biology there were an increase in number and quality of solved cases. The present article emphasizes the importance to associate certain forensic biology areas to traditional investigation methods in human identification, especially with forensic odontology. It also shows that in some situations, teeth are an important source to genetic analysis and molecular studies. Finally it was concluded that knowledge of forensic genetics applied to traditional forensic investigations would produce an increase of information to Justice.