Eur J Forensic Sci ● Apr-Jun 2016 ● Vol 3 ● Issue 2 1 European Journal of Forensic Sciences DOI: 10.5455/ejfs.196581 www.ejfs.co.uk INTRODUCTION Forensic odontology is an integral part of the forensic fraternity, and one of its primary applications is to establish the identity of individuals: perpetrators of a crime and victims of disasters [1,2]. Disasters can be both natural or man-made [3] and may result in damages of unimaginable magnitudes [3-5]. The primary objective of forensic odontologists after disasters or in crime scenes is to collect dental information from the deceased, compare ante-mortem and post-mortem dental information [6,7] and find similarities among them to establish identities of deceased victims. Dental identification is primarily used to confirm the identities of unknown persons when identification by other means such as DNA or fingerprints is not possible in disaster situations that result in skeletonization, decomposition, severe burning [8] or charring [9] of the individuals beyond recognition, especially in disasters that involve multitude of casualties [10]. The advantages of using teeth in establishing identities of people are because they are durable [11] and are capable of resisting damage unlike the other structures of the body [1,12]. Previous studies on the subject have described methods involved in collecting and examining dental evidence [13], but little Developmental anomalies of teeth and their applications in forensic odontology Mithun Rajshekar 1 , Thejaswini Mithun 2 , Jose Joy Idiculla 3 , Marc Tennant 4 Review Article ABSTRACT Forensic odontologists are often part of disaster victim identification teams that help in establishing the identity of victims. There may be situations when forensic odontologists get summoned to establish or confirm identities of victims after mass disasters whose identities cannot be established by any other means, identify individuals in crime scenes, or even be used as corroborative evidence. The primary objective of a forensic odontologist at a disaster site/crime scene is to establish the identity of a deceased victim by comparing ante-mortem and post-mortem records. The objective of this article is to briefly explain the clinical and radiological features of developmental dental anomalies and associated syndromes and highlight their role in victim identification. The authors emphasize the roles of dental practitioners and forensic odontologists in victim identification by examining and recording dental features that may assist in establishing the identity of deceased individuals during disasters or otherwise. KEY WORDS: Forensic sciences, forensic odontology, dental anomalies, dental evidence, disaster victim identification 1 Menzies Research Institute Tasmania, Tasmanian Institute for Law Enforcement Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia, 2 Oral Health Services Tasmania, Hobart, Australia, 3 Department of Oral Medicine, Oral Diagnosis and Oral Pathology, Faculty of Dentistry, Melaka Manipal Medical College Jalan Batu Hampar, Bukit Baru, Malaysia, 4 Centre for Rural and Remote Oral Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia Address for correspondence: Address for correspondence: Mithun Rajshekar, Menzies Research Institute Tasmania, Tasmanian Institute for Law Enforcement Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia. E-mail: Mithun.Rajshekar@ utas.edu.au Received: Received: July 15, 2015 Accepted: Accepted: September 15, 2015 Published: Published: October 12, 2016