Insights from the 7th of October massacre: Forensic odontology in mass disasters

Abstract

On October 7, 2023, an attack on Israel led to 1200 Israeli fatalities, creating a critical need for victim identification under challenging conditions of the remains, which ranged from fresh to severely burnt and fragmented. This study examines the role of forensic odontology within a multidisciplinary approach to disaster victim identification, a key element in handling mass casualty events. Ante-mortem dental data, obtained from various sources, were matched with postmortem information, such as full mouth X-rays and cone-beam computed tomography scans, utilizing dental identification software and visual comparison methods. A total of 970 victims were examined, leading to the successful identification of 166 individuals, representing 17 % of the overall identifications made through all scientific means. These findings emphasize the value of dental interventions and morphological features in forensic identifications, depicted in computed tomography-generated panoramic images which can provide an effective alternative to full mouth X-rays when direct oral access was restricted. These insights contribute to advancing forensic practices in response to complex mass disaster situations.