Forensic dental identification 169
forensic dentists consider this reconstruction of the antemortem record the
most challenging and time-consuming step in dental identification.
Dentists are required by law, in most jurisdictions, to maintain their
patients’ original records. This places a dental practitioner in an uncom-
fortable position when asked to release an original dental record for com-
parison and possible dental identification. Dentists are almost always
Table 9.1