A forensic identification case and DPid - can it be a useful tool?

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to show DPid as an important tool of potential application to solve cases with dental prosthesis, such as the forensic case reported, in which a skull, denture and dental records were received for analysis. Material and Methods Human identification is still challenging in various circumstances and Dental Prosthetics Identification (DPid) stores the patient’s name and prosthesis information and provides access through an embedded code in dental prosthesis or an identification card. All of this information is digitally stored on servers accessible only by dentists, laboratory technicians and patients with their own level of secure access. DPid provides a complete single-source list of all dental prosthesis features (materials and components) under complete and secure documentation used for clinical follow-up and for human identification. Results and Conclusion If DPid tool was present in this forensic case, it could have been solved without requirement of DNA exam, which confirmed the dental comparison of antemortem and postmortem records, and concluded the case as a positive identification.


Introduction
Crime rate, terrorism, wars, mass disasters, road traffic accidents and dreadful diseases have increased 2 .
Moreover, natural or man-made disasters present a different set of circumstances and, consequently, each event results in new challenges for identification teams 18 . The identity of the deceased, assailant, or the cause of death becomes important as the core of various investigations 2 .
Resilience of the dental structures to postmortem assault, denture labeling, and teeth as a source of DNA contribute to make identification successful. Dental identification is widely used, not only in the single fatality situation, but also in mass fatality incidents and cases of missing persons 9,22 .
New technologies have been developed to make it faster and more effective and different disaster victim identification (DVI) protocols have been evaluated and improved. The postmortem (PM) and antemortem (AM) data are entered into a computer database that will ultimately search for best possible matches 18 .
Denture may demonstrate certain features that can assist in the identification such as old or recent repairs, areas of relief, soft linings, material used, or a particular tooth type and arrangement. If a denture wearer was involved in an accident, crime, or mass disaster, it would be invaluable if the denture was labeled. The marker should ideally withstand most conditions, be acceptable to the patient, not weaken the denture, and be easy and cheap to produce and give a positive identification 20 .
The aim of this study was to show DPid as an important tool of potential application to solve cases with dental prosthesis, such as the forensic case in which skull, denture, and dental records were received for analysis.

Case Report
A skull, complete bones, and a denture were found in a crime scene and they were referred to the    In recent years, techniques using newer technologies with a higher level of security have been introduced such as microdots, Radio Frequency Transponder (RFID) chips 14,16 , and memory card 11 . Unfortunately, the cost associated with these technologies, both in the item to be embedded and the specialized reader/scanner necessary to extract the information, prohibits them from being broadly accepted by dental professionals. Laboratory; dentist business name, address, phone, e-mail, dentist name, and dentist license number; about the patient's dental well-being regarding the manufacturing materials or the procedure of inserting the dental prosthetic.

Dental Prosthetics Identification (DPid) provides a
All dental prosthesis, removable or fixed, can be identified with DPid system. Therefore, if a patient needs to have the prosthesis repaired or remanufactured, the laboratory technician can rapidly access all the necessary information via the embedded code or identification card. All information is entered in "real-time", in such a way the dentist and laboratory technician can access the patient's information and see the exact same data including materials and components, photographs, and case notes. If the dentist uploads photographs of the patient's existing condition, the laboratory technician can see the condition of the patient's existing dentition and what the dentist is proposing as a solution.
Dental professionals using the DPid system can be trained on how to enter and access data. For others who do not need this information, the DPid code will, in most cases, remain undetectable, as intended for the patient's aesthetics and privacy. However, First Responders (Fire and/or Emergency Medical Services) There are further complications with the purging of patient dental records. Archiving of patient information varies between countries, considering that the U.S.A.
typically maintains records for six years 3 , while in Brazil the dental records should be archived throughout the patient's life 13 . Unfortunately, once the patient's file is purged, there is no longer a record that can link the prosthesis to a patient. DPid digitally and securely stores dental prosthesis information archived and makes it accessible for patient's lifetime.

Conclusions
Dental comparative analysis is one of the main human identification methods through individual dental parameters that help in a positive identification of unidentified bodies. Forensic cases with dental prosthesis presence can easily achieve positive identification if there is an identification system, embedded in the prosthesis. So, in situations as the case presented, DPid is a tool that can reduce information management time, eliminate paperwork, and digitally archive patient's information with no need for expensive programing, technical support or equipment and it will immediately reduce or eliminate expenses for research time, storage, printer ink and paper, as well as information transfer between dentists and laboratory technicians and patients when material disclosure is requested. This type of system offers a complete open-line of communication between the patient, dentist, and laboratory technician concerning documenting, identifying, and tracking all dental prostheses. Therefore, it can help to solve forensic cases, especially identification cases.