Forensic odontology majorly focuses on the identification of victims through the analyses of oral and para-oral structures. Exposure to high temperatures and trauma can occur in mass disasters and may lead to the fracturing and fragmentation of teeth. These fragments may become very fragile and easily damaged while handling. Conventional methodologies such as the use of transparent nail polish, hair spray, cyanoacrylate or adhesives have been used to stabilize the fragmented pieces. This study introduces a new and innovative digital technique that utilizes three-dimensional surface scanning (3DSS) and rapid prototyping techniques to reconstruct fractured portions of the teeth. The results of qualitative congruency analysis suggest that over all variance of morphological error (0.0526 ± 0.05) mm. These results imply that the reconstructed 3D model can be used for various morphometric analyses.
Keywords: Forensic sciences; forensic odontology; forensic reconstruction; three-dimensional printing; three-dimensional surface scanning.
© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of the Academy of Forensic Science.