Which type of scientific identification uses radiographic records of teeth and bones?

• A. Comparative medical/dental radiography
• B. Nuclear DNA
• C. Fingerprints
• D. Surgical implants

Answer: (A)

The technique relies on comparing radiographic images of what was present before death with images after death to confirm identity, by matching dental structures, restorations, and skeletal features. Teeth and bone leaves carry a unique, enduring record—dental X-rays capture the number, arrangement, and work done on teeth, and skeletal X-rays reveal individual bone morphology. This makes comparative medical/dental radiography a reliable way to establish identity when other records are limited.

Nuclear DNA looks at genetic material, not radiographs. Fingerprints rely on skin patterns, not imaging of bones or teeth. Surgical implants may be visible on radiographs but identity is not established through a formal comparison of ante-mortem and post-mortem radiographs of teeth and bones.