Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Forensic Odontology has its root dating back to 49 A.D. Dental imaging techniques, new materials and new methods have advanced the profession into the modern era of dentistry. There have been many advances in DNA technology as well but forensic odontology remains a very cost-effective and rapid means of confirming the identity of deceased and criminal identification when proper dental records and dental evidence exist. Methodology: A questioner based survey was conducted to find out the awareness regarding forensic dentistry among several professionals. We distributed four different questionnaires among four different groups of population such as dental students, practicing dentists, FMT doctors, and police personnel and finally analyzed the data. Results: Practicing dentists were the most aware group followed by FMT doctors, dental students, and police personnel, workshops, and scientific articles being the primary source of knowledge for police personnel and FMT doctors respectively. Most of them think their knowledge regarding forensic odontology was not adequate and would like to attend workshops and seminars regarding the same. Most of the practicing dentists were aware of the significance of keeping dental records of their patients. Most of the FMT doctors and police personnel think that forensic dentistry will be very useful in forensic investigations and they support the claim that the government of Odisha should recruit forensic dentists in investigating teams. Conclusion: The status of forensic dentistry in Odisha is still in its infancy, a lot of awareness is necessary among dental professionals as well as police personnel and FMT doctors. But it is a fact that its popularity is growing rapidly among dental students and practicing dentists. Government should pay attention to the fact that the state has currently no institute that provides the forensic odontology course. Along with that it should establish forensic dentistry labs and recruit forensic dentists so that police authority can approach for investigations. There is no doubt that forensic investigations will get a boost in Odisha with the involvement of forensic odontology.