BACKGROUND: Forensic Odontology developed as a discipline in 1898 with the publication of its first textbook; however, 126 years later, a standardised core curriculum for formal training in Forensic Odontology has yet to be decided. This website scoping review aims to provide information on three main distinct categories (and 17 subcategories): Availability, Content, and Quality of Forensic Odontology education globally. The information on formal education programmes was gathered by conducting a web search using \'Google Search\' in English, Arabic, Spanish, and French languages between June and July 2022.
CONCLUSIONS: Fifty-six programmes from 18 countries met the inclusion criteria. Of the 14 master\'s and 42 diploma programmes, only 7.14% provided information on their websites from all the subcategories investigated. The highest numbers of master\'s and postgraduate diploma programmes were identified in Europe (18 programmes), South America (15), North America (11) and Asia (7). A practical aspect was included by 10 master\'s and 12 diploma programmes\' websites. Research integration in various forms was included by 11 master\'s and seven diploma programmes.
CONCLUSIONS: Programme providers and applicants must critically consider the quality of the programme being designed or applied to as there are currently no international training standards in Forensic Odontology. This study has developed an \'International Database of Forensic Odontology Programmes\' (IDFOP).

BACKGROUND: Tooth wear is a non-pathological loss of hard tissues on the incisal and occlusal tooth surface. In archaeology, the loss of dental tissue through attrition is associated with living opportunities and habits, availability, characteristics and methods of food preparation. In forensics, tooth wear is used to estimate the dental age on cadavers.
METHODS: For this study, we used an archaeological sample from two sample collections. In this study, tooth wear was compared in archaeological samples of well-preserved maxilla and mandible specimens (n=392) from Croatian coastal and continental populations from Late Antiquity (LA) and the Early Middle Ages (EMA). The computer system VistaMetrix 1.38 was used to analyse the abrasion and attrition of hard dental tissues. The Shapiro-Wilk and chi-square tests were performed for categorical data to test the difference between two historical periods and two geographical locations, while the Kruskal-Wallis test was performed for continuous data.
RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of tooth wear in total teeth area (P < 0.001) when comparing continental and coastal Croatia in LA and coastal Croatia between LA and EMA (P = 0.006 and P < 0.001, respectively). Samples from coastal Croatia from the LA period had the lowest percentage of tooth wear with a median of 8.35%, while samples from coastal Croatia from the EMA had the highest percentage of tooth wear with a median of 18.26%. Our results generally show greater tooth wear in the EMA period in male subjects.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of the tooth wear research obtained with the Vista Metrix software can contribute to the study of life circumstances and changes that the analysed population has experienced in its historical development.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the awareness, knowledge, and attitude regarding forensic odontology (FO) among dental students and graduates at Beni-Suef University and Badr University in Cairo, Egypt.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 316 dentists and dental students in their final year of undergraduate study. An online self-administered questionnaire in English was used to obtain participants\' responses.
RESULTS: Less than half of the participants (47.5%) were aware of the branch of dentistry named FO. The highest percentages of correct answers in the knowledge assessment were reported in dental age estimation questions, while the lowest percentages were in items related to the use of FO in confirming sexual abuse and using palatal rugae as a marker in forensic identification. The most common source of knowledge was the internet (52.0%). Only 11.1% of the participants received FO courses in their colleges. Studying FO as a postgraduate course was interesting to 67.4% of the participants. The knowledge score was significantly associated with the participants\' gender, graduation status, and educational level.
CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed a lack of awareness of FO as a branch of dentistry among dental students and dentists in Egypt. Increasing awareness and knowledge of FO could be achieved by integrating FO into the dental curriculum at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

BACKGROUND: The study evaluates the feasibility of employing the radiographic visibility of the root pulp and periodontal ligament in mandibular molars for age estimation, particularly focusing on the 18 years of age threshold. This study additionally investigates the potential of root canal width reduction in mandibular molars, as a reliable method for forensic age estimation in living individuals.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the radiographic visibility of the root pulp (RPV) and the root canal width (RCW) of mandibular first, second, and third molars along with the radiographic visibility of the periodontal ligament (PLV) of mandibular third molars, in a sample of 403 individuals aged 16-25 years (220 males and 183 females). Data regarding age for different stages of RPV and PLV and various types of RCW were recorded and observed for sex-based differences. Results obtained were tabulated and descriptive statistics were applied to summarise the findings.
RESULTS: Individuals over 18 years old were classified with higher accuracy using stage 3 of the RPV scoring system in all mandibular molars (first, second, and third) compared to stage 2, which was also effective for the second and third molars. This result held regardless of sex and side examined. Additionally, root canal width (RCW) assessment demonstrated that individuals with RCW types A, B, and C were more likely to be under 18 years old in both sexes. Conversely, individuals with RCW type U on the right side for males and the left side for females exhibited a higher likelihood of being above 18 years old.
CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that the assessment of mandibular molars could potentially serve as an auxiliary tool in age estimation methods, particularly for approximating individuals around the 18 years of age threshold. Further investigation is warranted to explore the potential application of root canal width measurements in forensic age estimation.

Post-mortem interval (PMI) estimation remains one of the major challenges in forensic practice, especially for late PMIs beyond 7-10 days after the death of the subject. In 2022, an innovative method to investigate the occurrence of mutations induced by the death of a subject in the DNA of post-mortem dental pulps at different PMIs was developed, applying a next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis. The present study aims to apply the same method of analysis to a small sample of teeth belonging to the same subject and analyzed at different PMIs/accumulated degree days (ADDs), and of teeth extracted from different subjects but analyzed at the same PMI/ADD to verify the repeatability of the results obtained in relation to the time elapsed since death. A total of 10 teeth were collected from 6 patients (3 males and 3 females) with PMI varying from 8 to 35 days, and ADD from 157.4 to 753.8. We found 1754 mutations in 56 genes, with more than 700 mutations having a prevalence > 5% and more than 300 variants considered of interest for the purposes of the study. Mutations that were not present at lower PMIs but manifested in later PMIs in pulps belonging to the same subject demonstrate that they can only have been acquired by the subject after death and according to the time elapsed since death. In total, 67 somatic mutations in 29 out of the 56 genes of the used panel occurred in a fashion that allows an association with specific PMI/ADD ranges (within 8 days, between 17 and 28, and beyond 30 days after death). The results suggest that temperature and humidity could influence the rate of DNA degeneration in dental pulps, thus PMI should be estimated in ADD more than days. The preliminary validation supports the hypothesis that the innovative method could be a useful tool for estimating the post-mortem interval even beyond the first week after death, but further analyses are needed to customize a specific genetic panel for forensic investigations and verify the influence of degenerative processes of soft tissues surrounding dental elements on DNA degeneration of pulps.

BACKGROUND: Post-mortem toxicology constantly deals with the research of reliable alternative matrices to be applied in case of highly damaged corpses (such us carbonized, skeletonized, human remains, etc.). Teeth represent a promising alternative matrix since dental tissues are endowed by different features, resistance and stability after death.
METHODS: Since scant literature reported on the pharmacokinetics and mechanism of incorporation of xenobiotics into dental tissues, this pilot research aims to investigate whether in the pulp can be detected the same substances found in blood in drug related death cases. Secondly, the study is addressed to disclose the possible deposit of drugs in dental hard tissues (dentine and/or enamel), thus contributing to reconstruct the drug abuse history (timing, e.g.).
METHODS: The study experimented with a novel method to separately analyse dental enamel, dentin, and pulp, applied to 10 teeth collected during autopsies of drug-related deaths along with blood and hair samples for classic toxicological analyses. Each tooth was prepared by \"pulverization technique\" and then analysed by gas chromatography paired with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC/HR-MS) for searching cocaine, opiates, and metabolites. The results were then compared with those obtained from blood and hair samples.
RESULTS: Preliminary results demonstrated that teeth differ from any other classic matrix (blood and hairs) since the qualitative correspondence of the detected substances between pulp and blood as well as dental hard tissues and hair suggests that they can be useful in post-mortem evaluation as a unique matrix for both acute and chronic assumptions of drugs. The mechanism of accumulation of substances in mineralized dental tissues emerged the most significant result, being influenced by the type of molecule and the method of assumption. The main limitation of this study is the limited availability of the sample and the absence of anamnestic information of the time, rates and method of drug assumption during life. Further research is necessary to systematically investigate the distribution of different substances within the different tissues of the tooth.

Introduction Determination of gender can be highly accurate with a complete adult skeleton, but in scenarios like mass disasters, only fragmented bones might be available. In such cases, identifying gender relies significantly on which parts of the skeleton are found. The mandible is a notably distinct bone in the skull and can be key in determining gender, especially when the entire skull is not available. The mandibular features provide clues that can help forensic experts determine the gender of an individual. Aim of the study This preliminary study aimed to determine the gender of an individual using mandibular parameters such as coronoid ramus height, condylar ramus height, projective ramus, minimum ramus breadth, and maximum ramus breadth. The objectives of this study were to (i) determine the gender of an individual using various mandibular parameters, (ii) evaluate the effectiveness of these mandibular parameters in distinguishing between male and female individuals, and (iii) establish a reliable method for gender identification based on the measured mandibular parameters. Materials and methods Since it was a preliminary study, the sample size calculation was done using G*Power software (Version 3.1.9.4; Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany). The sample size was determined to guarantee a 95% statistical power at a significance level (alpha error probability) of 0.05. To ensure sufficient statistical power, a total of 100 samples were included, with a projected sample size of 92. A total of 100 samples, evenly split between 50 males and 50 females aged 20 to 30 years, were analyzed. Orthopantomograms (OPGs) showing pathologies, fractures, developmental disturbances of the mandible, and edentulous mandibles were excluded from the study. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS for Windows, Version 16.0 (Released 2007; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Additionally, an accuracy test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), multiple regression, and discriminant analysis for gender were performed on individual data. Results In this study, five mandibular parameters were analyzed for gender such as coronoid ramus height, condylar ramus height, projective ramus, minimum ramus breadth, and maximum ramus breadth showed a positive correlation comparatively, and a novel formula was developed.  Conclusion According to the present study, panoramic radiography can be considered a valuable tool in sex determination (with an accuracy of 90%), and all parameters of the mandible exhibited sexual dimorphism, showing they are reliable parameters with a total accuracy of 90%. However, coronoid ramus height, projective ramus, and maximum ramus breadth played a significant role in identifying gender in this particular study.

This study evaluated 10-year secular changes in dental maturity and dental development among Korean children. A retrospective analysis of panoramic radiograph samples from Korean children (4-16 years old) taken in 2010 and 2020 was conducted. The 2010 group consisted of 3491 radiographs (1970 boys and 1521 girls), and the 2020 group included 5133 radiographs (2825 boys and 2308 girls). Using Demirjian\'s method, dental maturity scores and dental developmental stages were assessed. For intra-observer reliability, Weighted Cohen\'s kappa was used, and Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to compare the 2020 and 2010 groups. A slight acceleration in dental maturity was observed in both boys and girls, with the difference being more noticeable in boys at an earlier age. Statistically significant differences were noted at ages 4, 5 and 7 for boys, and at age 6 for girls. Despite these differences, the individual dental development stages of 2020 and 2010 showed inconsistent trends with limited differences. Generally, girls demonstrate more advanced dental maturity than boys. A slight acceleration in Korean children\'s dental maturity was observed over a 10-year period when comparing the 2020 groups to the 2010 groups.

The timing of dental development in ethnic Finns and Somalis, who were born and living in Finland, was compared, with efforts to minimize environmental bias. The developmental status of seven lower left permanent teeth were staged according to Demirjian et al., using panoramic radiographs from 2,100 Finnish and 808 Somali females and males, aged 2 to 23 years. For each tooth, a continuation-ratio model was constructed to analyze the allocated stages as a function of sex and ethnic origin. Several statistically significant differences in mean age of certain tooth developmental stage transitions were revealed. While Somalis generally displayed stage transitions at younger age, none of the seven teeth consistently showed earlier stage transitions in Somalis compared to Finns. Within each tooth, the lowest (or highest) mean age of stage transition varied without any discernible pattern between the two ethnic groups. Overall, the observed differences in mean age of stage transition between the groups was minimal, suggesting a low impact on clinical and forensic age assessment practice. In conclusion, the studied ethnic Finn and Somali groups with equal nutritional and /or environmental conditions exhibit similar timing in the development of all lower left permanent teeth.

UNASSIGNED: The objective of this study was to investigate the utility of Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT)-based pulp tooth volume- ratio of maxillary anterior teeth for accurate age estimation. The project aimed to utilize the HOROS software for image analysis and develop prediction models using regression analysis.
UNASSIGNED: 1800 male patients in the age group of 20 to 40 years were selected, and maxillary anterior teeth were picked. High-resolution CBCT scans were collected, and image analysis in terms of pulp volume (PV), tooth volume (TV), and pulp-volume-to-tooth-volume ratio (PV/TV) was calculated using HOROS software. Simple linear regression analysis was used to develop prediction models correlating the PV/TV with chronological age.
UNASSIGNED: PV/TV of all teeth ranged between 0.073 and 0.214. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation between the chronological age and the PV/TV. It shows a statistically significant (positive) but low correlation between age and PV/TV 13 and 22 (combined), respectively, and the highest Pearson correlation (0.849) for maxillary canine (13). This study presents four models for age estimation with maximum standard error ranging between 3.5 and 4.3 and an accuracy of 96%.
UNASSIGNED: This study illustrates the effectiveness of CBCT-based PV/TV of maxillary anterior teeth for age assessment. Accurate prediction models were constructed by using regression analysis and the HOROS software. These findings enhance the study of forensic odontology and have potential applications in forensic investigations, archaeological research, and legal-age assessment. Further research is necessary to validate and refine the prediction models, expanding their applicability to larger and more diverse population samples.