An Ahmedabad-based dentist has spent five years travelling more than 37,000 kilometres across India to build what is believed to be the country’s first large-scale forensic dental database, a project that could strengthen victim identification in criminal investigations and disaster response.
Dr. Jayasankar P. Pillai, a senior faculty member at Government Dental College and Hospital, analysed 2.23 lakh teeth collected from 23 states and six geographic zones as part of the research. His work, which recently earned him a PhD from the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), maps how tooth structures vary across regions and what those differences may reveal about ancestry and place of origin.
The research highlights the growing role of dental morphology in forensic science, particularly in a country where standardised dental records remain limited. Teeth are often among the most durable human remains and can preserve identifiable characteristics long after other biological evidence has degraded.
According to Dr. Pillai, the current classification model can identify a person’s region of origin with an accuracy rate of 36% and determine gender with 63% accuracy using dental samples alone. While the results are still developing, he said future integration with artificial intelligence and a broader data pool could significantly improve performance.
The findings also revealed clear regional patterns in dental traits. In parts of northern and northeastern India, shovel-shaped incisors were found to be more common. These front teeth have ridged inner surfaces resembling the inside of a shovel and are frequently associated with specific ancestral lineages.
In western and southern regions, including Gujarat, molars with six or seven cusps appeared more frequently. Researchers say such variations are not random, but reflect long-standing genetic and anthropological differences that can be traced through enamel and dentine.
Each tooth in the study was assessed using 15 non-metric crown traits based on internationally recognised dental anthropology standards, including the ASUDAS/Turner-Scott system. The study also documented the presence of features such as the Cusp of Carabelli in some Indian populations, a trait more commonly linked with Caucasian ancestry and historical migration patterns from Central Asia and Western Europe.
Dr. J.M. Vyas, vice-chancellor of NFSU and Dr. Pillai’s doctoral guide, said teeth can serve as reliable forensic markers because they often survive for decades or even centuries. He added that efforts are now underway to support the development of a national dental registry that could assist law enforcement and forensic agencies across the country.
Dr. Pillai said he plans to continue expanding the database and eventually make it accessible to institutions involved in identifying missing and unidentified persons. If scaled successfully, the project could become a foundational tool for forensic science in India and open the door to more precise biological profiling through dental evidence.
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