Lodox® digital imaging – a tool for dental identification in single and mass fatality situations

Abstract

Lodox®Statscan™ is a relatively recent addition to the field of post- mortem radiology and imaging in forensic dentistry and forensic medicine. A number of cases were encountered where victims who could not undergo visual identification were positively identified by comparing their post mortem Lodox® images with their ante-mortem dental records. A brief description is provided of how Lodox®Statscan™ images can be of benefit in cases where visual identification is not feasible or must be validated by another method of post-mortem identification. The digital images also provide a permanent record of the dentition of the deceased for future reference. The emphasis of this article is on the Lodox®Statscan™ as a screening tool for cases which are suitable for dental identification, especially in mini-mass fatality and mass fatality situations, which is a potent new possibility in the field of dental identification. The use of these full body low dosage digital radiographic images for the purposes of dental identification has not been reported in the literature previously.