ABSTRACT
First contact would ordinarily be by the investigative staff to the family who could provide the sources of dental treatment. That is, assuming that there is a family and that the person had a dentist. It is important, in the case of missing persons, that the dental records of the missing person be transmitted to the local law enforcement agency as soon as possible. In the identification of unknown remains the investigative staff will attempt to contact the general dentist and request all records of the presumptive person (Appendix, Figure A.6). Usually, this is the private practice dentist, but otherwise, if there has been military service, then the search will extend to the military dental facility. In some cases, if it has been determined that the decedent/missing person received hospital treatment then the hospital will be a good source of records of other surgical procedures including
appendectomy, loss of kidney, but more especially operations or diagnostic procedures that may have involved the skull and the dental apparatus.
