Are Tooth Prints a Hard Tissue Equivalence of Finger Print in Mass Disaster: A Rationalized Review.

Personal identification methods may not be efficient when bodies are decomposed, burned, in cases of mass disasters when soft tissue cannot provide reliable information or has been lost. Various methods currently employed in forensic odontology for personal identification include comparing with antemortem dental charts, rugoscopy, denture labeling, DNA analysis from dental pulp, bite mark analysis, etc., Recently, there is growing interest in the study of enamel rod end patterns. These enamel rod end patterns are termed as "Tooth prints" and the study of these prints is known as "Ameloglyphics" (amelo: Enamel, Glyphics: Carvings). This review encompasses about the basis of using enamel rod end patterns, methods of obtaining the patterns and further suggests these tooth prints as an analogy to finger print in personal identification in mass disasters.

Oral Health Status and Treatment Needs of Gunj Marketing Yard Laborers of Raichur City, Karnataka.

BACKGROUND: Oral health is a vital part of general health and is a valuable asset of every individual. The working population in India usually belong to the lower socioeconomic group. AIM: This study was conducted to assess the oral health status and treatment needs of Gunj marketing yard laborers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted among 550 laborers of Gunj marketing yard of Raichur city. A specially designed questionnaire was used to assess the demographic variables and oral hygiene practices. Oral health status was assessed using the WHO assessment form 1997. Simplified oral hygiene index (1964) was used to assess the oral hygiene status. RESULTS: The mean age of the study participants was 35.1 (± 8.02) years and the mean decayed teeth, missing teeth, filled teeth, and decayed, missing, filled teeth was 2.06 (± 1.49), 0.76 (± 2.53), 0.13 (± 0.39), and 2.95 (± 3.02), respectively. The prevalence of dental caries and periodontal disease was 85.7% and 93.5%, respectively. The oral hygiene status was poor in 45.9% of the study participants. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates poor oral hygiene and high prevalence of periodontal diseases and dental caries as well as a large proportion of unmet dental needs among these laborers.