Introduction: Ante-mortem (AM) post mortem (PM) Comparison of clinically used dental radiographs is a classical method for forensic dental identification. An intraoral periapical radiograph (IOPA) is the most common tool used for investigation, evaluation and monitoring of dental disease progression. Panoramic radiograph or Orthopantomograph (OPG) is the most commonly preferred extra-oral dental radiograph by dentists and it also provides a wide coverage of both the jaws and teeth. Few studies offered to assess OPGs as a tool of identification in forensic odontology. Aims and Objectives: Verify the usefulness of panoramic radiograph as a tool for identification by planning a simulated ante-mortem (AM) and post -mortem (PM) panoramic radiographic comparison. The objective of this study was to check whether OPGs can be an effective tool of identification in the hands of a common dental practitioner. Materials and Methods: 50 individuals were enrolled for the study , age group of 17 to 25 who already underwent panoramic imaging. After taking consent another radiograph was taken at interval of 4 years.100 pairs of matched and unmatched radiographs were generated and each of the 5 investigators was provided with a set of 20 paired radiographs and were asked to report positive and negative matching according to their observation. Results: Results provided by investigators revealed 66/100 positively matched and 34/100 negatively matched records. Accuracy, Sensitivity and Specificity were 95%, 96% and 91% respectively. Conclusion: Panoramic radiographs have been shown to be an excellent tool in forensic identification in this study in an age group of 17-25.

Keywords: Ante-mortem; Post-mortem; Panoramic; Orthopantomograph; Identification.