Survey of dental hygienists' and dental hygienist students' attitudes towards body identification tasks of unidentified human remains

Abstract

Objective Dental findings are used to identify unidentified human remains. The post‐mortem records, necessary for the appraisal of dental findings, are created by the dentist; however, a system for dental hygienists specializing in these tasks to utilize has not yet been considered. Methods This study was directed at both students at a dental hygienist school and dental hygienists. We conducted an awareness survey on their willingness to participate in these tasks, as well as the need for education regarding body identification tasks. Results The results showed that students and dental hygienists are highly interested in body identification tasks and highly motivated to participate. Numerous participants preferred to take courses regarding basic knowledge in both lecture and practical training settings to acquire the knowledge necessary for performing these tasks. Conclusions It is necessary to consider the curriculum content and timing of lectures and practices related to body identification tasks. Participation limited to the creation of post‐mortem records, except for the creation of antemortem records requiring diagnosis and treatment knowledge and the matching task of antemortem records and post‐mortem records, should be considered to prevent the tasks of dental hygienists from excessively expanding. If dental hygienists train properly, intraoral findings records can be drawn up by a team consisting of 1 dentist and 1 dental hygienist. Therefore, it is expected that the use of forensic dental identification, which is a relatively quick identification method, will be further improved.