Cone-Beam Computed Tomography: A New Tool on the Horizon for Forensic Dentistry

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Cone-Beam Computed Tomography: A New Tool on the Horizon for Forensic Dentistry
by Rakhi Issrani 1,*,Namdeo Prabhu 2,Mohammed Ghazi Sghaireen 3,Kiran Kumar Ganji 1,4ORCID,Ali Mosfer A. Alqahtani 5,Tamer Saleh ALJamaan 6,Amal Mohammed Alanazi 3,Sarah Hatab Alanazi 1,Mohammad Khursheed Alam 1,7,8ORCID andManay Srinivas Munisekhar 1
1
Department of Preventive Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Jouf University, Sakaka 72345, Saudi Arabia
2
Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, Jouf University, Sakaka 72345, Saudi Arabia
3
Department of Prosthetic Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Jouf University, Sakaka 72345, Saudi Arabia
4
Department of Periodontics, Sharad Pawar Dental College & Hospital, Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur 440001, India
5
Department of Diagnostic Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, King Khalid University, Abha 62529, Saudi Arabia
6
Dental Department, Armed Forces Hospital, King Abdel Aziz Airbase, Dhahran 34641, Saudi Arabia
7
Center of Transdisciplinary Research (CFTR), Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai 600077, India
8
Department of Public Health, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(9), 5352; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095352
Submission received: 23 March 2022 / Revised: 20 April 2022 / Accepted: 22 April 2022 / Published: 28 April 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Forensic Pathology: Reviews, Case Reports, Rare Diseases, and Experimental Research)
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Abstract
Teeth and bones of calvarium are important structures from a forensic point of view, as they are extremely resilient to destruction or decomposition, even under temperature variations. Radiology is inevitably an important tool in forensic investigations. Maxillofacial radiology provides a considerable amount of information for the identification of remains and evidence in case of legal matters. The advent of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in the arena of maxillofacial 3D imaging has contributed immensely to forensic science such as the age estimation through teeth, analysis of bite marks, determination of race and sex, etc. The advantages of accuracy in imaging the anatomy, digitized technology favoring easier comparison of records and storage of records for a longer period, cost reduction, dose reduction, and easier portability have made it an unavoidable adjunct in forensic investigations. The aim of this paper is to review and highlight the importance of CBCT in successful forensic identification and analysis. This review is written to address the various aspects of CBCT as a recently developed technology that may be very useful in some forensic contexts, based on searches for current studies in the literature using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases, to identify studies published since inception to December 2021, with no language restriction. In conclusion, CBCT is an accessible 3D imaging technology with many applications, one of them being in forensic sciences.