VIRDENTOPSY: Virtual Dental Autopsy and Remote Forensic Odontology Evaluation

The identification of human remains relies on the comparison of post-mortem data, collected during the autopsy, with the ante-mortem data gathered from the missing persons’ reports. DNA, fingerprints, and dental data are considered primary identifiers and are usually collected during any human identification process. Post-mortem dental data should be collected and analyzed by forensic odontologists, as a dental autopsy must not be confused with a dental examination. The virdentopsy project was inaugurated in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, to allow the correct process of human remains by collecting dental data from teeth and jaws, which was then transmitted to forensic odontologists remotely for an expert opinion to achieve a generic profile of the unidentified human remains. The post-mortem dental biography is paramount to narrow the search for compatible missing persons but requires knowledge and experience of forensic odontologists. The virdentopsy process uses radiographic imaging (periapical X-rays, CT scans, panoramics), 2D/3D photos and video recording, photogrammetry documentation, 3D scanning, and live streaming where possible. This registered term was created by mergi