Dental Student Skills in Matching Radiographs for Forensic Identification and in Forensic Knowledge

Table 2

Survey responses.

	(Correct dichotomized response) and % correct	Strongly agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly disagree
(1) Did the student match the correct original radiograph?	(140) 92.1%
(2) If a single rooted tooth had an endodontic procedure, is it possible to match ante and post-mortem radiographs.	(True) 74.3%	(21) 13.8%	(92) 60.5%	(23) 15.1%	(12) 7.9%	(2) 1.3%
(3) The shape of palatal rugae remain consistent and are reliable forensic markers.	(True) 25.7%	(9) 5.9%	(30) 19.7%	(34) 22.4%	(65) 42.8%	(13) 8.6%
(4) Forensic odontology means “dealing with the time of death.”	(False) 85.5%	(5) 3.3%	(16) 10.5%	(23) 15.1%	(67) 44.1%	(39) 25.7%
(5) 2D bar codes are most commonly used in dentures of people with Parkinson’s and neurodegenerative diseases.	(True) 44.7%	(11) 7.2%	(57) 37.5%	(65) 42.8%	(14) 9.2%	(4) 2.6%
(6) Mesiodistal width of incisors can discriminate between male and females and are routinely used in court as evidence of sex.	(False) 70.4%	(9) 5.9%	(36) 23.7%	(29) 19.1%	(60) 39.5%	(18) 11.8%
(7) Altering original dental images may result in inaccurate identifications should a disaster requiring dental forensics occur.	(True) 86.8%	(70) 46.1%	(62) 40.8%	(14) 9.2%	(4) 2.6%	(2) 1.3%
(8) ^14Carbon dating of teeth can be used to determine a person’s age within an error of ±1.75 years.	(True) 62.5%	(14) 9.2%	(81) 53.3%	(48) 31.6%	(7) 4.6%	(2) 1.3%
(9) The lightest striae of Retzius (the neonatal line) is associated with a stress of teething.	(False) 65.8%	(11) 7.2%	(40) 26.3%	(48) 31.6%	(44) 28.9%	(8) 5.3%
(10) In adult radiographs, physiologic changes can be seen as widening of pulp area.	(False) 63.8%	(18) 11.8%	(36) 23.7%	(17) 11.2%	(43) 28.3%	(37) 24.3%
(11) Use of third molar development as a legal landmark of age is valid.	(False) 70.4%	(8) 5.3%	(33) 21.7%	(32) 21.1%	(48) 31.6%	(27) 17.8%

Note. True: strongly agree or agree; false: neutral, disagree, or strongly disagree.