Usefulness of patient photograph as a marker for identifying denture‐wearers in India*

Abstract

The major advantage of the photographic marker is that identity is easily ascertained by lay persons with the unassisted eye (bar codes require a hand-held reading device); photographic markers are also relevant in the Indian context where one-third of the population is illiterate and diverse scripts are used across the country, making interpretation of written data challenging at times. This allows for photographic markers' routine use in residential and hospital set-ups. Although the photographic marker has low fire resistance, it may be useful in forensic contexts since dentures retained in the mouth are well-protected by the oro-facial tissues and may survive incineration.

Perceptions and preferences on denture marking in an Indian sample

“…The most preferred marker was the RFID followed by conventional methods such as typed piece of tissue paper and engraved orthodontic band 6 . We recently suggested a new method of denture marking – embedding a denture with the patient’s (wearer’s) photograph – and discussed its potential advantages, especially in the Indian context 9 . However, its ‘true success’ may only be gauged by its acceptance among patients willing to have their dentures marked.…”

Attitudes, Perceptions, and Preferences of Individuals from Temuco (Chile) About Denture Marking

“…The method of a patient's photograph embedded in the denture (#3) was described by Anehosur et al in 2010 , and according to the authors, the system is useful in the Indian sociodemographic context which is multilingual, with high illiteracy rates in some regions, and many people are likely not able to interpret written information. This system relies on the possibility of showing these photographs to the victim's relatives or even comparing the photographs with AM data in forensic procedures . The same authors tested this system by proposing it as an alternative marker in the aforementioned survey for patients in India .…”

“… Patient photograph printed on photographic paper (10 × 15 mm), with patient data written on the back of the photograph using a microtip pencil. This device was embedded following the specifications described by Anehosur et al (Fig. ).…”

Denture Identification Methods: A Review

“…This method required additional equipment to transfer details to a computer. h.) Photographic method 27,28 …”