During the year, we have been presenting presidential spotlights from the Academy sections to highlight the latest significant research or improvements within its discipline. Examples include cutting-edge technology, standards, or methods that improve the practice. Alternatively, they may show a historical account/timeline of the discipline’s use of innovative technology or research. These are presented to inform all members of how each discipline is responding to the challenges of a modern forensic science world—our theme for the year. This featured submission is from the Odontology Section.

Source: Robin A. Ainsworth, DDS, Odontology Section Secretary

The forensic odontology community continues to foster research in advancing and exploring techniques related to our field. Through educational programs there is current research investigating additional techniques for both human dental identification (including Cone Beam Computed Tomography [CBCT] and virtual autopsies) and age estimation. We have also published standards, through the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science and the American Dental Association (ADA), including Human Identification by Comparative Dental Analysis and Forensic Dental Data Set. Also, there is Human Age Assessment by Dental Analysis (currently at the Forensic Science Standards Board [FSSB] for vote) that should be published soon.