Autopsies orofaciales : une alternative conservatrice à la dépose des maxillaires

The individual specificity of dental patterns (teeth and treatments) and their resistance to high environmental constraints (putrefaction, carbonization, etc.) make forensic dentistry one of the most valuable methods for victim identification. But dental evidences are useful only if they are collected in an accurate way. By allowing a direct access to dental structures, jaws resections seem to be an appropriate method to reach a high quality of dental evidences collected. This method is however in contradiction with several international forensic guidelines which stress that jaws resections have numerous disadvantages. Now, with transports accidents, terrorist attacks and natural disasters, many forensic operations are realized in a multinational context. As to virtual autopsy, years are still necessary to make it more reliable and accessible for all forensic specialists. That is why we propose an alternative to jaws resections compatible with international recommendations and which allows to realize an accurate dental exam in comfortable conditions.