Forensic Odontology Radiography and Imaging in Disaster Victim Identification Positional statement of the members of the Disaster Victim Identification working group of the International Society of Forensic Radiology and Imaging

The use of radiography by forensic odontologists for the purposes of disaster victim identification (DVI) was established in 1949, when it was used to assist in the identification of the victims of the Great Lakes liner “Noronic” disaster in Toronto, Canada. Of the 119 victims of the disaster, positive identification matches were established for 24 of the most severely disfigured cases through the use of comparative odontology radiography (1-3). Today radiography is an established tool of forensic odontologists for DVI. The precise requirements for dental radiography for any given mass fatality incident will be determined by the working practices of the forensic odontologists engaged in the investigation.