An odontologist is a licensed dentist who specializes in forensic dentistry, helping to identify bodies and capture criminals. They analyze teeth and bite marks found at crime scenes and present their findings to law enforcement officials and judges. To become a dentist, a person must meet educational requirements, gain experience, and pass licensing exams. The field is competitive, and dentists often supplement their income with other types of dental services.
An odontologist is a licensed dentist who specializes in forensic dentistry. He or she often works with law enforcement professionals and forensic science lab technicians to help identify bodies and capture criminals. A dentist usually conducts careful investigations to match dental records, photographic evidence, and X-rays to teeth or bite marks found at the scene of a crime or accident. Typically, practitioners are required to present their findings to law enforcement officials and judges and to provide expert testimony at court hearings.
When pieces of teeth or bite marks are recovered from a crime scene, a dentist may be called in to determine the identity of the perpetrator. He or she takes samples to a laboratory to compare them with the dental records of suspects in an investigation. An expert can also analyze bite marks present on a victim to help police gather enough evidence for an arrest. Dentists often write detailed reports about their findings and present evidence at trials to deter criminals.
It is often difficult or impossible to identify victims of fires, explosions or disfiguring accidents without the assistance of trained dentists. Teeth may be the only parts of the body that remain intact after these incidences, and professionals are needed to analyze them in forensic laboratories. A dentist can use microscopes, DNA extraction equipment, and dental records in computer databases to identify victims. When decayed human remains are found, dentists investigate pieces of teeth and jaws to determine their identity.
To become a dentist, a person typically must meet the same educational requirements as other dentists, gain experience assisting other professionals for a certain period of time, and pass extensive licensing exams. Hopeful dentists are usually required to complete four-year bachelor’s degree programs, as well as three to four years of dental school. Upon graduation, individuals typically take on internships or residencies, where they learn more about the specifics of forensic dentistry from established dentists. Licensing procedures vary by state and country, although most new dentists are required to pass practical and written exams before practicing independently.
The field of forensic dentistry is relatively small, and competition for positions in research labs and law enforcement agencies is often fierce. Dentists often supplement their income with criminal and accident investigation work and offer other types of dental services. Many dentists are also licensed orthodontists, oral surgeons or cosmetic dentists. Some people choose to become part-time or part-time professors in dental schools.
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