Indian Journal of Forensic Odontology

We are living in the era of science and technology and it have infused with many aspects of our everyday life. With the advent of newer technologies the criminals have made full use of it which sometimes facade a challenging task to investigators such as forensic experts to catch the crime. An important observation in the field of Forensic Science is that most of the existing methods have been successful in certain crimes but these methods have not changed over the past few decades. Computer forensics (sometimes known as computer forensic science) is a branch of digital forensic science pertaining to legal evidence found in computers and digital storage media. The goal of computer forensics is to examine digital media in a forensically sound manner with the aim of identifying, preserving, recovering, analyzing and presenting facts and opinions about the information. Although it is most often associated with the investigation of a wide variety of computer crime. The use of computers in forensic dentistry has mirrored the use of computers in dentistry in general. There has been a rapid acceptance and use of computers for management of all frontoffice and many clinical procedures. Their use has presented new tools for solving difficult forensic problems and has created new concerns regarding their application in general dentistry. The accepted uses of computers in dentistry and forensic dentistry are presented along with suggestions for future directions. This review will discuss the need for computer forensics and application of technologies to be practiced in an effective and legal way, formalize basic technical issues, and point to references for further reading. It promotes the idea that the proficient practice of computer forensics and awareness of applicable laws is essential for today’s networked organizations. 

Keywords: Computer forensics; Criminal; Technology; Forensic dentistry; Dental records; Identification. 

One of the first things investigators look for at the scene of a crime is prints. They hope to find fingerprints on items in the house, footprints in the soil outside the house and even tire prints. Fingerprints are one of the most effective methods of identification. However lip prints can also provide important information. At the present time more and more people use protecting lipsticks and permanent lipsticks. Also male suspects leave lip prints at the crime site which are crucial evidence in crime scene investigation. When these latent prints are generated by contact with a surface and, like with the latent fingerprints occur, this latent lip print can be developed by various methods. Though there are several methods to identify latent finger prints but not many techniques are explored in case of latent lip print. The present article aims to review the various techniques used to develop latent lip prints and the newer arenas yet to be explored. 

Keywords: Latent lip print; Ninhydrin and analogues. 

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Background: Suspicious activity is something out of the ordinary or out of place considering the location. Public intelligence on timely suspicious activity identification and reporting to stakeholders in structural elements of criminal justice system would facilitate methodologies in identifying suspects, prosecuting and convicting criminals while exonerating innocent people. Aim & Objectives: The present study aimed to assess knowledge and attitude towards identifying and reporting suspicious activities among patients attending private dental college. Material and Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted in the Department of Public Health Dentistry, I.T.S Dental College on a convenient sample of 315 OPD patients aged 18 to 59 years during July to august 2012 with informed consent. Study subjects were interviewed through structured, pretested, validated questionnaire on 5 point likert scale in vernacular language by one calibrated investigator. Data was collected on socio demography, awareness on recognizing and reporting suspicious activity. SPSS 16 was employed with statistical level of significance at p<0.05 and 95% CI. Results: 82% subjects had slight knowledge about suspicious activities in which 3% have ever reported it. A total of 87% subjects had taken an initiative for creating awareness among individuals. 67.43% people think that Public service announcements (TV, radio) are effective source of learning suspicious activity. Conclusion: The results of this study add new insights into the motivators and barriers of why individuals do or do not report suspicious activity. This study also stimulates further research on exploring methods to identify and report suspicious activity and also shows that law enforcement and community partners can better develop and adapt strategies to improve community outreach and education efforts that enhance the public’s awareness and reporting of suspicious activity. 

Keywords: Suspicious activity; Law enforcement; Public awareness; Media; Education; Criminal justice system; Forensic odontology; Identification.