Teeth and bones may often be the only source for analysis and forensic identification
Nachiket Kelkar, The Week, June 13, 2025 :
It’s been over a day since Air India Flight AI 171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick Airport crashed minutes after take off into buildings housing BJ Medical College hostel. With most bodies severely charred beyond recognition doctors have had to resort to DNA testing to identify the victims so their remains can be handed over to victims.At the BJ Medical College and Hospital, a classroom was converted into a special room for DNA testing. Anxious relatives of those on board and those missing on ground could be seen trickling down through the day there anxiously looking out for news of their loved ones and providing DNA samples.
Several people we spoke to said they have told reports will come in 72 hours.
Dr. JP Pillai a forensic odontologist explained how he and his team was trying to extract DNA samples from the teeth of the victims to identify them.
“In dental field, we know that the teeth are unique in characteristics and that characteristics we try to record and try to match with the anti-mortem dental record if available,” said Dr Pillai.
“It is not guaranteed that all the cases post-mortem being gathered, we are going to get that anti-mortem dental record. We are doing our best so that at least some bodies are handed over to the next of the teeth,” he pointed.
Teeth and bones may often be the only source for analysis and forensic identification.
Dr. Pillai says that dental records are actually the fastest way of identification if the anti-mortem records are available.
He pointed that the dental team, including PG students from the dental college had been working continuously on collecting the dental records.
“It’s a very pathetic situation, but how far dentistry can help in giving justice to the identification, we are doing our best,” said the doctor.
He says today even selfies taken earlier could come in handy to determine the identity of a victim.
“Today’s world we are in social media and people post the selfie photograph. So, a small gap between the two teeth also could be one concordant point. If I see in the dead body, there is one gap between two central incisors, that if I am able to match it, that one point is enough to prove the identity,” according to Dr. Pillai.
There were 242 people, including 12 crew members on board the Air India flight that crashed on Thursday. Only one person miraculously survived.
