Forensic identification method based on 3D images of dental characteristics and its application after exposure to extreme conditions

Abstract

Introduction: Human identification is a crucial element of forensic investigation, enabling the identification of victims and suspects in criminal contexts, disasters, or accidents. Forensic dentistry plays a key role in this process through the analysis of dental characteristics in images, sometimes under challenging conditions involving degraded teeth (Sharma et al., 2023). Three-dimensional (3D) images are an emerging tool in forensic dentistry and could assist in this type of analysis (Silva et al., 2025).

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of identifying dental traits using 3D images, simulating extreme conditions found in forensic contexts.

Materials and methods: Dental morphology alterations of 20–30 human teeth are being evaluated through 3D images, before and after exposure to extreme conditions, such as immersion in liquids, high temperatures, and chemical agents. An iTero® intraoral 3D scanner from Align Technology, Inc. was used to obtain the images, and MeshLab software was utilized to analyse the 3D images. Ethical approval was obtained from the institutional Ethics Committee.

Results: High-quality 3D images are being obtained, facilitating the analysis of morphological changes. As expected, the first testes with high temperature exposure indicate different degrees of morphological degradation, depending on the temperature reached and time of exposure. The evaluation of vulnerable areas and the assessment of dental structure preservation are currently underway.

Discussion: The use of 3D images enables a detailed analysis of dental morphology and comparison of teeth (Perkins et al., 2025) before and after exposure to various extreme conditions. The use of 3D software, together with artificial intelligence, could facilitate the identification and detection of changes in dental features.

Conclusions: Dental analysis using 3D images could facilitate the recognition of relevant morphological features following exposure to extreme conditions, thereby contributing to more accurate forensic protocols, in which dental traits provide highly valuable information.