A REPORT ON THE VISIT TO THE CENTRE FOR FORENSIC AND LEGAL MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE, DUNDEE (SCOTLAND), UK- By Dr Ashith Acharya

In  this detailed report by Dr Ashith read about, the DCI's views on master of forensic odontology, research collaboration, faculty placement and the Scottish Travel prize


Following the invitation from Professor Derrick J. Pounder, Director of the Centre for Forensic and Legal Medicine, University of Dundee, Scotland, UK to the President of the IAFO, Professor S. Balagopal, I was selected to represent the IAFO on a visit to the Centre in UK for wide-ranging discussions. Upon the suggestion of Professor Pounder, I visited them from 19–31 May 2013. During the two-week visit, the following issues were discussed:

The practice of forensic odontology in India (lectures and practical session on age estimation)

            I was scheduled to deliver two lectures—one on age estimation, giving some case examples and practical issues encountered in India, and another on the forensic odontology cases referred to my department in Dharwad. 

            Both lectures were organised in the Dental School of the university.  The lectures were followed by extensive question-answer sessions. While both presentations appeared to have been well-received, the age estimation lecture, in particular, seemed to have made greater impact.

            In addition, I conducted a two-hour practical session on radiographic age estimation for the students of the Master of Forensic Odontology (MFO) course (the forensic odontology postgraduate course offered at Dundee).

Centre for Forensic and Legal Medicine
at the University of Dundee, Scotland, UK

 Possible research collaborations between faculty at Dundee and IAFO members

            Areas of common interest in research were explored with Dr. Andrew Forgie Supervisor of the MFO course, as well as faculty at the Centre of Anatomy and Human Identification. 

In forensic odontology, comparative dental identification and bite mark analyses were two areas that were put forward by Dr. Forgie. One suggestion made was to obtain dental casts from faculty in India, which could be 3D-scanned in Dundee and the data shared in bite mark studies and other research collaborations.

            Discussion on research collaborations with faculty members of the Centre of Anatomy and Human Identification explored skeletal development, data of the face (e.g., facial soft tissue thickness) and skull (e.g., skull anatomic features). These data, too, could be shared with faculty members of that university and members of the IAFO in mutually beneficial research projects.

Professor Derrick J. Pounder

DCI approval of Master of Forensic Odontology course

            Professor Pounder was very keen to learn about the modality for Dental Council of India (DCI) recognition of the one-year MFO course. At the outset, I informed him that the DCI required the course to be at least two years of duration, which will allow it to be equated with a PG Diploma in the Indian context; a three-year course would allow it to become eligible for recognition as a degree equivalent to MDS in India. While there was some acknowledgement for the course to have an extension of one year to make it a two-year programme, Professor Pounder believed that, having a three-year course may be difficult to achieve since the depth of the subject may not necessitate such a long-drawn programme.

            Later, he also wondered whether the MFO course should seek any form of DCI recognition—he pointed out that, not having DCI approval may make it more difficult for students completing their MFO course from Dundee to be appointed as a faculty member in a dental college in India, but there is nothing that prevents one from practicing forensic odontology in India. He contended that technically, even without DCI recognition, one can practice the specialty of forensic odontology in India; also, colleges can appoint someone with such a qualification as their faculty and even promote them based on their requirements and performance of the faculty member. He acknowledged, however, that it may make it more difficult for colleges to appoint and promote someone without a DCI-recognised qualification since the college will not be able to show such faculty members as a DCI-recognised faculty during DCI inspections.

 

Meeting with the Master of Forensic Odontology course students to discuss their future plans and routes to work in India

Dental colleges may, today, be more receptive to employing qualified forensic odontologists, partly since it may serve as an added benefit in aspects of the college’s quality and in NAAC accreditation, which is mandated by the DCI; in addition, colleges may also have a genuine interest in being a forerunner in introducing new specialties. Furthermore, this may give such colleges a head-start in initiating MDS in forensic odontology in a few years time (MDS in forensic odontology was approved by the DCI in May 2012). 

     

The two students from India enrolld in the Master of Forensic Odontology course, Subrahmanyeswara (left) and Sudheer (right), along with Dr. Andrew Forgie (centre-right) and I.

 Faculty requirement for guiding the Master of Forensic Odontology course
Professor Pounder’s proposes to employ  a qualified forensic odontology faculty member, preferably from India, to undertake some of the guidance of students enrolled in the Master of Forensic Odontology course.  As an incentive, such faculty from India could also simultaneously undertake a Masters by Research. The faculty position will be advertised shortly.

Scottish Travel Prize

            Professor Pounder proposed a ‘Scottish Travel Prize’ for the best paper presentation at the upcoming 11^th IAFO conference in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, on 21-22 September 2013. He suggested that the IAFO choose a panel of three members who in-turn would select a shortlist of the best oral presentations at the conference. The abstracts of these papers will be sent to Professor Pounder for a final decision on the ‘winner’. The winner of the prize will get the opportunity to travel to the University of Dundee for a period of two weeks (all expenses paid by the University) and the chance to interact with students and faculty there, as well as observe the practice of the specialty. The tentative dates for the visit are mid-May 2014.

Overall, the visit to the University of Dundee was quite satisfying—it put in perspective some of the differences in the approach to the practice of the specialty in India and the UK and the respective areas of professional interest; it has also opened the doors for future collaborations on a wide range of topics in forensic dentistry and anthropology, as well as possibly creating new avenues for faculty positions for qualified forensic dentists from India.

Dr. Ashith B. Acharya

Honorary Secretary, IAFO

&

Associate Professor and Head

Department of Forensic Odontology

SDM College of Dental Sciences & Hospital

Sattur, Dharwad – 580009

Karnataka