Reproducibility of the digital palate in forensic investigations: a two-year retrospective cohort study on twins

A Systematic Review of the Use of Intraoral Scanning for Human Identification Based on Palatal Morphology

“…In all included studies, the number of participants ranged between 3 to 199 [ 17 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. Only two studies reported the gender of the participants [ 23 , 24 ] and one reported the type of scanning pattern they followed [ 17 ].…”

“…The sample type was not reported in two of the seven included studies. Emerald, iTero, and Sirona IOSs were majorly used in all included studies [ 24 , 25 ]. Three studies [ 21 , 24 , 25 ] included the time points of when scans were taken, whereas all seven studies reported the type of software they used to store the scans [ 17 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ] ( Table 1 ).…”

“…Comparison between direct and indirect scans of the palate was carried out in two studies [ 21 , 25 ], whereas the other five studies compared palatal morphology, dentition, and mirrored and superimposed scans [ 17 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 26 ]. The deviation in the morphology of the palate was noted to be high in indirect scans, truncating its reproducibility compared to IOSs [ 25 ]. The same study also found that the same scan produced from different types of scanners could also lead to reduced repeatability of palatal morphology.…”

“…All seven included articles reported no significant intra-scan changes or deviations. Scans of different participants were compared with each other in five studies [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. All of the articles reported no statistically significant mean difference between scans of the same participants at different time points, suggesting that 3D digital models from IOSs are a highly valuable tool for human identification.…”

“…All of the articles reported no statistically significant mean difference between scans of the same participants at different time points, suggesting that 3D digital models from IOSs are a highly valuable tool for human identification. On the other hand, six articles highlight the distinctiveness of the palate in forensics, by showing a significantly higher variance in palatal morphology when scans of various people were compared with one another [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. Table 3 discusses the main study outcomes in detail.…”