forensic dentistry is a challenging and fascinating branch of forensic science that involves the application of dental sciences in the identification of deceased individuals through the comparison of ante- and post - mortem records . from ad 66 until date , dental identification has proved vital in identifying deceased individuals , the first case being accepted by the law in the year 1849 . recently , forensic odontology has evolved as a new ray of hope in assisting forensic medicine , but this vital and integral field of forensic medicine is still in a state of infancy in india . there are not many institutions offering formal training in forensic odontology as there is lack of job opportunities for qualified forensic odontologists who have obtained degrees abroad . the important applications of forensic odontology include identification of human remains through dental records and assisting at the scene of crime ; in cases of suspected child or adult abuse through bite marks or physical injuries ; determination of age and gender of living or deceased and to testify as an expert witness in court to present forensic dental evidence . the big question and in the coming 10 years probably the most burning one will be whether the dental practitioners should know about forensic odontology ? the reason being that dental identification provides an accurate source of identification of the victim or the suspect . natural and man - made disasters occur frequently in india such as asian tsunami , earthquake at bhuj , gujarat and lot many goes on . under these conditions , the vital role of dental surgeons comes into the picture in the identification of such individuals . keeping this background in mind the objective of this study was to conduct a survey in i.t.s cdsr muradnagar , to analyze and assess the knowledge and awareness level of forensic odontology among the individuals from the field of dentistry whether anything needs to be carried out regarding improving the state of affairs of forensic odontology in india . the present study was conducted at i.t.s for dental studies and research , muradnagar , ghaziabad . the study sample consisted of 200 individuals divided in four groups group 1 : undergraduate students group 3 : post - graduate students group 4 : practicing clinicians . a questionnaire was prepared consists of 15 questions all related to the field of forensic odontology . the comparison of the level of awareness was made within the group as well as across the groups . most of the undergraduate students were only able to state that person 's occupation can be adjudged by fossilized teeth . regarding the handling of cases related to forensic odontology , there was a mixed response . even the post - graduates and practicing clinicians were not very confident about handling the cases . the same held true for our study as tv serials like crime patrol and cid ( crime investigation department ) detectives etc . all the undergraduate students , interns , and post - graduates students felt that their knowledge regarding the subject is inadequate . none of the respondent was aware of the bite mark pattern of teeth and their application thereof . none of the respondent was aware of the dentist appearing as an expert witness in the court of law . dental records were maintained by practitioners and post - graduate students and the most valuable record that was maintained were the radiographs of the patient followed by the casts of the patients . they claimed that informing all the others such as police and ngo 's ( non - governmental organization ) is inviting problem for them . the awareness regarding the special courses being offered in india and abroad was minimal in the survey population . most of the interns , post - graduates and practitioners were aware that the dentist have a role to play in mass disasters , but even they were not aware that all the methods can be used for estimation of age of a deceased person . the most common method according to our survey was cementum annulations followed by deposition of secondary dentin . forensic science is primarily concerned with the application of science in court or legal proceedings . forensic odontology is an important branch of the study of dentistry that would assist in solving cases of abuses and deaths . greater knowledge and awareness of forensic odontology among the dental practitioners would be required in the growing field of medicine . the practice of forensic odontology has gained importance in a number of developed countries across the world . however , in developing countries like india , utilization of forensic odontology in the criminal justice system is minimal . the death toll in india due to the tsunami in 2004 was more than 15,000 , but it is a question left unanswered , whether all victims were identified . this could have been made possible if there were adequate forensic odontologists for identification of the victims . it is vital that people who are interested in forensic odontology must be properly educated and trained . this study was conducted among the individuals from the field of dentistry to assess their awareness about forensic odontology . the results show that the knowledge of forensic odontology among the dental practitioners is not adequate . the significance of forensic odontology can be attributed to the ability of the dental tissues to withstand environmental assaults and still retain some of its original structure . even the few practitioners , who were aware of this , answered more by their knowledge that was gained through the media . forensic dentists who are associated with identification of the deceased and crime investigations are usually required to provide testimony in the court of law in the capacity of an nearly one - third of the respondents were not aware that they could testify as an expert witness in court to present forensic evidence although , a few were not willing to testify even if called upon . estimation of the human age is a procedure adopted by anthropologists , archaeologists , and forensic scientists . this has helped forensic odontologists to solve cases in countries abroad , and could similarly play a very significant role in solving cases in india . however , nearly half of the practitioners did not know how to estimate the dental age by examining the teeth . the reasons for this could be multifactorial , either their ignorance / lack of basic knowledge or lack of confidence in answering this question , apart from not knowing the significance of dental age with regard to forensics . the dental record serves a purpose of future reference for the practitioners when needed and is not always maintained for a forensic purpose . the majority of the dental practitioners were aware of the significance of maintaining dental records . the identification of a large number of casualties in mass disasters is complex and fraught with hazards , both physically and emotionally . a forensic anthropologist may be called in when human remains are found during archaeological excavation , or when badly decomposed , burned , or skeletonised remains are found by law enforcement or members of the public . most of the dental practitioners in the study were not aware of the methods to identify the age and gender of the deceased individuals , which is where the most vital role of forensic odontologists comes into play . formal training institutes in forensic odontology are the media through which people can raise their knowledge and awareness level toward speciality forensic dentistry , ironically maximum of the dental practitioners lack their awareness toward these institutes . another reason could be there are very few institutions offering formal training in the forensic odontology . there are very few workshops or conferences that have been conducted in forensic odontology per year for dental surgeons , which could kindle an interest among the students to probe deeper into the subject . journals or publications always remain one of the very important sources of information in every field , according to this study very few dental practitioners read forensic related journals or publications . an effort should be made to cover the cases related too forensic odontology through mass media . this study reveals that there is inadequate knowledge , poor attitude , and lack of awareness toward the branch of forensic dentistry . this study reflects the current situation of our country in the field of forensic odontology . this condition ; however , could be improved if necessary steps are taken to make forensic odontology a part of our undergraduate curriculum and the introduction of post - graduation in forensic odontology . in addition , conducting periodic conferences , seminars , and publications of a major breakthrough cases would help the dental practitioners and students enrich their knowledge about forensic odontology . we as dentists and experts in the field of dentistry are only not fully aware of the forensic odontology and its application . the awareness has to be created among the dentists first and then the same can be reached out to the society .