A reflection on the future of forensic odontology may begin with an apparently simple question: does the expression “forensic odontology” still fully describe what this discipline can offer?
Teeth undoubtedly constitute its historical core and continue to represent an extraordinary source of information, particularly in personal identification and biological age estimation. Yet the contribution of a dentist with specific forensic expertise may extend, within the limits of documented training and competence, to the entire oral and maxillofacial complex and to relevant craniofacial structures.
For this reason, I believe it is useful to begin discussing more openly the concept of forensic odonto-stomatology.

From dentist to odonto-stomatologist

The terminological issue also forms part of a broader reflection on the identity of our profession. For years, I have considered it useful to open a discussion on the designation medical dentist, which now appears to be moving toward the term medical odonto-stomatologist.
This is not merely a lexical claim, nor an attempt to attribute to the profession competencies that do not belong to it. Rather, it is a way to make more immediately recognizable the medical nature of dental education and practice, and the fact that our field of observation does not coincide with the individual tooth.
Dentists study, diagnose, prevent and treat conditions involving teeth, the periodontium, oral mucosa, dental arches, occlusion, the jaws and functionally related anatomical structures. The same perspective can find a natural translation in forensic practice.
Indeed, the very term “odontoiatra” in Italian retains, in the suffix -iatra, the etymological reference to the Greek iatrós, meaning “physician”. From this perspective, the designation medical odonto-stomatologist probably appears the most coherent way to express both the medical nature of the profession and the extension of its competencies to the stomatognathic and maxillofacial complex.

A designation with an established international history

The expression forensic odonto-stomatology is not a recent construction. The Fédération Dentaire Internationale (FDI) has promoted this field internationally since 1968. Five years later, in 1973, the international organization that would become today’s International Organization for Forensic Odonto-Stomatology – IOFOS was established in Paris. To this day, the leading international organization in the field expressly retains the term Odonto-Stomatology in its name.
The organization’s official journal is likewise entitled the Journal of Forensic Odonto-Stomatology, published under this title since 1983.
I attended my first IOFOS meeting in Leuven in 2005. For me, it was a particularly meaningful encounter with an international scientific community that already viewed the discipline as something broader than the mere comparison of teeth. It is certainly not the only meeting devoted to forensic odonto-stomatology, but its triennial schedule makes it a particularly valuable opportunity for continuing education, scientific exchange and professional growth for us as dentists.

Forensic odonto-stomatology does not mean “competence over the entire skull”

This point needs to be made clear. Speaking of forensic odonto-stomatology does not mean attributing exclusive competence over the human skull to the dentist, nor does it mean overlapping the role of the forensic anthropologist, forensic pathologist, radiologist or other specialists. Quite the opposite.
A more precise designation must be accompanied by an equally rigorous definition of professional boundaries.
The forensic odonto-stomatologist should provide specialist expertise in the examination and interpretation of the oral and maxillofacial complex and relevant craniofacial structures, within the limits of documented training and competence.
When the analysis requires additional anthropological, genetic, pathological or radiological knowledge, the correct approach is not to replace other professionals, but to work with them. Multidisciplinarity in this field is not a weakness. It is a prerequisite for scientific quality.

Terminology must be reflected in training

Changing a word without changing training would have little meaning. If we wish to speak of forensic odonto-stomatology, we must simultaneously discuss training curricula, competency requirements, practical experience, the quality of post-mortem examination, forensic radiology, DVI procedures, comparative identification, traumatology, expert responsibility and quality-assurance systems.

In other words, we should also consider a formal postgraduate specialty programme in “Legal Dentistry and Forensic Odonto-Stomatology.”

IOFOS continues to develop specific recommendations aimed at ensuring quality and standardization in professional practice. In 2026, for example, its recommendations on forensic dental age assessment in living individuals were updated. A broader designation therefore entails greater responsibility: to demonstrate the competencies that such a designation implies.

A proposal for discussion, not a final conclusion

I am not proposing that a consolidated term be replaced overnight. I am proposing that we open a discussion. A discussion among scientific societies, universities, dentists, forensic pathologists, anthropologists, institutions and forensic science professionals. We need to discuss terminology, but above all what lies behind it: training, competencies, professional limits, responsibilities and standards.

“What do we want to call this discipline? What contribution do we want professionals trained in this field to be truly capable of offering to forensic science, justice and humanitarian action?”

From the teeth to the face, from identification to dignity

Words are not neutral. They define a scientific field, shape training and help establish expectations and responsibilities. For this reason, I believe Forensic Odonto-Stomatology is a designation worth reconsidering.
Not to diminish the central role of teeth, but to place them within the anatomical and professional system to which they belong. From the teeth to the oral and maxillofacial complex. From identification to human dignity.
Perhaps this is the direction in which forensic odontology — or forensic odonto-stomatology — can continue to grow.

Essential sources: International Organization for Forensic Odonto-Stomatology (IOFOS), history and objectives of the organization; IOFOS, Fifty Years of IOFOS (1973–2023): A Historical Overview; Journal of Forensic Odonto-Stomatology; IOFOS, Textbook of Forensic Odonto-Stomatology.