Odontologia legal na identificação de vítimas em desastres naturais: uma revisão integrativa e relato de experiência no contexto brasileiro

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Forensic dentistry (FO) is considered in the literature as one of the most reliable and economical scientific methods for identifying victims in natural disasters. OBJECTIVE: to investigate the role of forensic dentistry in identifying victims in natural disasters, in addition to analyzing the effectiveness of the identification techniques used and identifying the best practices for interdisciplinary cooperation. METHODOLOGY: This is a literature review with qualitative elements, experience report and interview. For the integrative review, virtual health databases were used, specifically the Virtual Health Library (BVS), National Library of Medicine (PubMed) and Scientific Electronic Library Online (Scielo), from 2010 to 2025. The experience report was carried out through interviews with three people who experienced the climate tragedy that occurred in Rio Grande do Sul in 2024. RESULTS: The results showed that forensic dentistry is an effective tool in identifying victims. Furthermore, the research identified the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation between authorities, health professionals and forensic dentistry specialists. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: By applying forensic dentistry to mass disasters, victims can be identified efficiently, accurately and ethically, providing answers to families and assisting in the legal and administrative process related to the event. Mass disasters often result in a large number of victims requiring identification. The primary methods of identification listed by INTERPOL (DNA, fingerprinting and forensic dentistry) play a very important role in assisting and accelerating the process of victim identification.