Case Study: Your Dentist Until Death Do Us Part
Dr. Hernandez is a dentist in private practice in a small town. The local police contact her because they found a skull by the river that they suspect belongs to a person who was decapitated in a freak accident the year before. They know the body of the victim belongs to a patient of the doctor, so they hope she can identify the skull using dental records. The doctor is able to make the identification by comparing the teeth in the skull with dental records, including radiographs, progress notes, and a mold that was made of the patient’s teeth a couple of years before.
Discussion Questions
- Is identifying the skull inside or outside of the roles and responsibilities of dentistry? Explain your answer.
- In this case study, the patient is dead. Does it make sense to think about the professionals involved in this case as a healthcare team? Provide argument in favor and against this idea.
- If we can consider the professionals involved in this case a healthcare team who should be part of it?
- Identifying the skull using dental records falls within the scope of dentistry. Dental professionals are often called upon to assist in identifying individuals by examining dental remains. Dentists are trained to assess and compare dental records, including X-rays, molds, and other dental documentation, to establish the identity of individuals based on their dental characteristics. It’s a critical aspect of forensic dentistry, a specialized field within dentistry.
- Yes, considering the professionals involved as a healthcare team is a valid perspective, even though the patient is deceased. In favor of this idea, healthcare teams aren’t exclusively limited to cases involving living patients. Forensic investigations often involve collaboration between various professionals—forensic odontologists, law enforcement, medical examiners, and sometimes even psychologists or anthropologists. They collectively contribute their expertise to solve cases and provide accurate identification and relevant information.
Against this idea, some might argue that healthcare teams are primarily focused on the care and treatment of living patients. However, forensic investigations, especially those involving identification through dental records, rely on the expertise of dental professionals as part of a broader investigative team.
- In a healthcare team scenario for this case, the members could include:
- Forensic Odontologists: Dentists specializing in forensic identification, examining dental records and remains.
- Law Enforcement: Investigators coordinating the retrieval and analysis of evidence.
- Medical Examiners/Coroners: Professionals involved in the postmortem examination and determination of cause of death.
- Legal Experts: Lawyers or legal advisors providing guidance on the use of evidence in legal proceedings.
Each member plays a crucial role: the dentist compares dental records, law enforcement manages the investigation, medical examiners handle the physical examination, and legal experts ensure the admissibility of evidence. Collaboration among these professionals helps in accurately identifying the deceased individual and potentially aiding in legal processes.