Awareness of forensic dentistry among medical and dentistry graduates and undergraduates in Telangana, India

Abstract

Background: One of the main rivals in forensic medicine is forensic odontology. With the proper training in forensic dentistry, medical and dental professionals will be able to recognize and generate the relevant information at the right time to aid in criminal investigations. Medical and dental students' knowledge and awareness have a vital role in the caliber of medicolegal reports, such as those certifying age and identifying race and sex. Thus, they should have some understanding about and aptitude for forensic odontology. The study's objective is to determine how well medical and dentistry graduates and students understand forensic odontology. Study design: 1000 medical and dental students from various colleges in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. participated in cross-sectional observational research in the Year between 2019-2021. The study made use of a 16-question multiple-choice questionnaire that had been previously prepared and verified. Results of the data analysis were reported as percentages.Results: Most participants were able to accurately respond to questions based on fundamental information, while few were able to respond to questions based on in-depth knowledge. The requirement for keeping dental records was cited by 94% of interviewees. Yet, only 18% were aware of the time frame for maintaining dental data. Just 13% of participants were aware of Dimerjian's approach of age calculation from teeth, and only 12% of students were aware that the amylogenic gene may be used to determine sex. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that although participants lacked in-depth information, they had a positive attitude and a fundamental understanding of forensic dentistry. Thus, that both medical and dental students receive practical training in the field of forensic dentistry, structured skill modules should be incorporated in the curriculum and correctly executed.