Dental Cingulum and Position of Fixed Orthodontic Appliance as Source of Morphological and Therapeutic Identifiers: An Unusual Case Report

Orthodontic records, such as photographs, radiographs, and dental casts, provide information useful for identification purposes because it may reveal important morphological, therapeutic, and pathological dental identifiers. Among these identifiers, the type and position of orthodontic appliances figure as distinctive tools for human identification. In this context, the present study aims to report an uncommon case of identification of a putrefied body, found near to a forest region in Brazil. The postmortem (PM) examination showed that the victim had part of a fixed orthodontic appliance installed in the maxillary and mandibular dental arches. To identify the body, relatives of the potential victim presented orthodontic examinations containing panoramic radiography and photographs of the orthodontic treatment. The body was identified based on the analysis of the radiographs and photographs that confirmed the presence of the orthodontic appliances observed PM. More specifically, the identification was supported by the analysis of bracket bonding position of the maxillary and mandibular incisors and the presence of distinctive morphological traits of the canines and incisors, as well dental roots observed radiographically. The present case highlights the importance of orthodontic records as a source of morphological dental identifiers for cases in which only unrestored teeth are available.