Solving certain dental records problems with technology—The Canadian solution in the Thailand tsunami response

Abstract 

Each natural or man-made disaster presents a different set of circumstances and, as a consequence, each event results in new challenges for response teams. The very large number of deceased victims in recent tragic events is certainly one of the enormous challenges that can tax many different resources for identification specialists. But there are other significant challenges. And during the response, some of these seem insurmountable. They can be solved if we embrace technologies outside the customary disciplines.

The Canadian identification effort following the December 2004 tsunami involved responders from several disciplines. Each discipline faced challenges in many different and special areas that were difficult and in some cases previously unseen. This paper presents examples of the ways the Canadian identification team used Internet technology to solve problems that were encountered when it became necessary to duplicate victims’ dental, medical and personal records, and transport these records halfway around the world. Digital images of the records were saved at high resolution in multi-page PDF files. These images were made available to on-site personnel using an encrypted, password-secured website.

Keywords: Forensic identification: Disaster victim identification, Dental records, Internet