This article describes the forensic odontological analysis of the events of the 2015 Nepal earthquake. It identifies the problems encountered in the aftermath, lessons learned, and prospective future advances aimed at reducing the subjectivity in disaster victim identification (DVI). During a crisis, dental practitioners, particularly forensic odontologists, can make a substantial contribution to DVI, as highlighted in this article. It also promotes best practices in forensic dentistry that may be used by anyone in situations with few resources or people to deal with comparable scenarios.

Human skull is considered as one of the most reliable bones for sex differentiation. This study is an attempt to estimate sex, using variations in dimensions of Foramen Magnum among the Nepalese population. Most studies on the skull have been carried out in dry skull, using ectocranial measurements. This study on sexual dimorphism in Foramen Magnum of Nepalese population was carried out in wet skull and measurements are taken intracranially by using sliding Vernier’s caliper. A cross-sectional study of 96 medico-legal autopsies (53 males and 43 females) was conducted at Department of Forensic Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, to establish reference standards for sexual dimorphism of dimensions of Foramen Magnum. The mean antero-posterior diameter (APD) was found to be 33.45 mm in males and 30.70 mm in females. The mean transverse diameter (TD) was found to be 27.64 mm in males and 25.19 mm in females. Both APD and TD were found to have statistically significant dimorphism between the sexes. Discriminant function analysis showed that the accuracy ranged between 55.8% and 81.4 % with use of both APD and TD showing the most accurate classification. Binary logistic regression showed that 69.8% were correctly classified as female and 79.2 % were correctly classified as male and 75% on overall population.

Human identification may be difficult when there is no antemortem data available. A photograph of the deceased may be valuable in such cases. Digital advancement and inclusion in the lives of ordinary people makes it easier to retrieve clear, high-resolution photos from social media accounts and other places. This paper describes three cases of forensic dental identification from a US–Bangla plane crash in Nepal in which a charred body was positively identified from a smiling photograph provided by the deceased's family. Each case is unique and their identification rests on the availability of pre- and post-mortem information. Thus, the number of concordant points may vary from single to multiple; there is no defined criteria for minimum number of concordance for a positive dental identification.

Background: Disasters are a common occurrence in Nepal. This necessitates the development of baseline forensic anthropological data specific to the Nepalese population. Recent advances in the field of forensic medicine and sciences have somewhat reduced the relevance of forensic anthropology in the western developed world. The financial burden of these newer techniques, however, puts emphasis back on methodological examination of remains to establish identity.Objectives: To establish the sex of the individual from the percutaneous length of the fingers.Methodology: One hundred and twenty medical students (58 males and 62 females) were randomly selected and their finger lengths measured. These measurements were analyzed to establish discriminant functions to estimate sex.Results: The equation derived was Y = (1.822 x Left index finger length) + (1.141 x Left little finger length) – 19.211. Group centroids were calculated to be -0.933 for females and 0.998 for males. The sensitivity was found to be 76.9% and a specificity of 78.2%. Overall, the function correctly classified 77.5% of the original cases.Conclusion: Based on these findings, finger length is as reliable in estimation of sex of an individual as other longs bones and can be an ideal tool for examination, especially in remains where the skull and pelvis are absent or missing.