Stereomicroscopy – A Potential Technique for Forensic Dental Profiling

Abstract

“Forensic odontology” is concerned with the proper handling, inspection, and assessment of dental evidence as well as the correct analysis and representation of dental findings. An odontologist is regularly called upon to help identify unknown human remains and dental evidence recovered from crime scenes and disasters. Dental profiling is the study of teeth and their surrounding structures with the goal of determining a victim’s identity. One can estimate an individual’s age, gender, and ethnicity using dental profiling. It can also be used to determine dental anthropological features such as personal habits, diet, nutritional deficiencies, oral health, and social class. Dental profiling can be done in a number of ways by either invasive or noninvasive methods. By studying and examining solid samples with complicated surface topography for macro features, stereomicroscopy is one of the ways that might be useful in it. Such a technique could be useful for both invasive and noninvasive dental profiling approaches. Stereomicroscopy refers to a microscopic technique that can be used for stereoscopic viewing or three-dimensional imaging with depth and contrast perception; it is essential for interpreting specimen structure. A stereomicroscope or dissecting microscope is a device used to observe a sample at a low magnification utilizing light reflected off the object’s surface rather than transmitted through it. This paper provides an overview of the stereomicroscope’s usage, applications, and benefits in microscopic forensic dental profiling.