Re: International dental materialsTiffany wrote:
> I am a dentistry student from the University of Manitoba, Canada. I am
> currently involved in a research about using dental materials to
> identify human corpse. The goal of the project is to construct a
> database of different brands of materials, which samples from crime
> scenes can be matched against. I am hoping to get intraoral materials
> from different countries to aid identify the nationalities of the
> deceased. The result will be used to help solve future cases. If
> dentists from around the world can donate some sample sealant, crowns,
> cement, restoration material, resin, amalgam, orthodontic wire,
> orthodontic brackets, implant...etc for this project, it would be a
> great assistance to the project. Please email tsycheung@gmail,com if
> you are interested in donating dental materials. Thank you!
With respect:
Forensic odontology is a well-established science, and as you surely
know identification of bodies that have been severely damaged is often
possible by dental charting, since in these cases (the prime example
being airplane crashes) the teeth are the tissue most likely to survive.
But dental materials? I use dental materials made in the U.S, Germany,
Japan, France, and probably Scandinavia. Many of these materials are
either made by multinationals or have international distribution
networks. I don't see how a survey of dental materials can help much
in determining nationality.
Steve