When guta-percha residual is decisive in the human identification: case report.

Abstract

Forensic Odontology is the specialty responsible for clarifying administrative or judicial demands from different spheres. In the criminal court, the human identification process encompasses a set of procedures that aim to individualize a person, and in several situations, Forensic Odontology stands out as an important method of human identification. The objective of this article was to present a case report in which the presence of a gutta-percha remnant was decisive for human identification. After body examination and delivery of the dental records, the information received from the suspect was compared with that collected in the post mortem examination. Through this comparison, it was verified coincident points that allowed the positive identification, especially the presence, both in the ante mortem and post mortem exam, of a remnant of gutta-percha surrounded by bone scar tissue in the region of the tooth 21. It is concluded that information from dental procedures is extremely valuable in the process of human identification.