Awareness of Forensic Odontology among legal professionals in Delhi: A Survey based study

Abstract

Background-: Forensic Odontology (FO) is an integral part of forensic medical sciences, which pacts with the appropriate handling, examination and demonstration of the dental evidence in the court of law.
The practical applicability of forensic odontology largely depends on its utilization by legal professionals. So, the aim of this study was to access and evaluate the level of awareness regarding various domains of FO among the legal professionals practicing in Delhi.
Methodology: A digital questionnaire in the form of google form consisting of a set of 13 questions was prepared and validated by a group of legal professionals. The responses were then cleared and & form was recirculated as a questionnaire- based survey among 280 legal professionals practicing in Delhi between the period of August and September 2025. The data was analyzed as per the sociodemographic details and the professional background related to the knowledge of forensic odontology and its applications pertaining to Indian laws and criminal cases. Statistical analysis was done using Chi square test as the test of significance.
Results-: Out of 280 study participants, males and females were 167 (59.6%) & 113(40.4%) respectively with varying levels of professional experience. The response rate was 100%. Chi- square analysis revealed a statistically significant association between higher professional experience (>10 years) and awareness of forensic odontology applications, including heard of term FO (χ² = 9.6, p= 0.002*); handled FO cases during the professional course (χ² = 5.81, p= 0.016*); age determination (χ² = 7.5, p= 0.023); gender determination (χ² = 6.7, p= 0.035*), bite mark analysis (χ² =12.7, p=0.001); DNA identification (χ² = 6.9, p= 0.031*) and tooth loss or fracture as grievous injury (χ² = 5.4, p = 0.020*).
Conclusion: From the current study, it is evident that practitioners with greater professional experience have better understanding of various domains of FO. Although dental evidence is considered very crucial and given considerable weightage in court, is rarely presented, depicting the lack of awareness regarding the practical utility of forensic odontology. Therefore, training through workshops and webinars should be conducted to strengthen the effectivity.