Maintenance of Dental Records: A Survey among Italian Dentists with Implications for Forensic Odontology

Dental records keeping is essential for the practicing dentist, not only for legal implications and malpractice insurance claims, but also for forensic applications in the identification of unidentified human remains. Objectives. The most common element of forensic dentistry that a general practitioner is likely to encounter is to supply antemortem records to forensic odontologists to narrow the search for missing individuals and to play a key role in the victim identification process following mass disasters or catastrophes. Methods. A pilot study was conducted on 138 private dentists who were questioned regarding their collecting and keeping dental records in their regular practice. Results: All dental practitioners collect name, age, address, contact information, pertinent medical history, and chief complaint; 88% record dental anomalies, soft tissue findings, malocclusion, and parafunctional habits. 92% note the name of the manufactures and the batch or serial number of the dental implants used. 96% register details of the prosthesis constructed. 100% of the dental practitioners questioned keep a record of every treatment done, and store radiographs/photographs for a minimum of 10 years, but nobody regularly gives a copy of the radiographs to their patients. Conclusions: Authors suggest improvements in the quality of dental record keeping as an essential part of the dentists’ professional responsibility and the forensic dental identification.