Re: Victim Identification Through Dental Charts
From: Joel M. Eichen (joeleichen_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 03/15/05
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Date: Tue, 15 Mar 2005 15:38:46 -0500
On Tue, 15 Mar 2005 17:55:43 GMT, Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
<bornfeldmung@dentaltwins.com> wrote:
>Dear Joel,
>
>I think this system, while it would no doubt prove invaluable in
>criminal and other forensic investigations, raises some real civil
>liberties issues. While I am certainly not the expert, the potential for
>incursions into personal privacy is always raised in similar types of
>national registries. One has only to explore the reaction to police "DNA
>dragnets" to see a thorough expounding on the various points of view.
>
>In our practice, the two events that prompted the release of records for
>forensic reasons were requests from those family members who had power
>of consent. As I understand the law, any other release of dental
>records, whether anonymous or not, would have required a subpoena, .
No need to release the identity until a match is found.
Victim No. 43 matches to chart 56rfe67hg345g54g
Now does the family want it released or not?
Joel
>
>As for compliance with HIPAA, you must know that a registry that is
>truly anonymized is useless; there must be a means of cross-referencing
>the clinical data to specific individuals. As long as this can be done,
>it is possible for the data to be misused or misappropriated.
>
>Mark
>
>Joel M. Eichen wrote:
>>
>> Victim Identification Through Dental Charts
>>
>> Any feedback here, either
>> positive or negative?
>>
>> Joel
>>
>>
>> ****
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> 03/15/2005
>>
>>
>> Hello Ann Rule,
>>
>> Thanks so much for your latest book, Green River Running Red." As
>> always, your books are a very interesting read and a most informative
>> tale. As a small correction, when you go into your next edition, you
>> may want to change on page 294,
>>
>> "Jim Pompey was relieved that Matt Haney had
>> managed to keep a lid on the details of the April 1997 searches."
>>
>> I believe this refers to the April 8, 1987 search warrant and series
>> of events.
>>
>> Identifying missing people (cadavers) through dental records
>>
>> I am currently a teaching dentist with widespread clinical dental
>> experience. In 2005, many but certainly not all of our dental records
>> across the United States are computerized. Even so, the penetration of
>> electronic records is increasing day by day. It is clear that if law
>> enforcement were on the same page with dental records as many dentists
>> currently are, that there would exist a very powerful identification
>> tool. For example, from the example in your book, a patient with a
>> fairly unusual stainless steel crown on her lower right first molar
>> (tooth #30) could be readily identified from a database compilation of
>> dental records.
>>
>> There are dental software vendors who would probably be interested in
>> participating in such a program by offering law enforcement free
>> software or zero cost software for the publicity value alone.
>> Alternatively, Dental charts could be created from cadavers using
>> online processes. Next, dental patient charts could be anonymized
>> (HIPAA regulations) and uploaded to the database. As incentive to
>> software vendors, this could create some possible influencing factor
>> for dentists when considering one vendor's software over another.
>> There might be some patients and families of patients who would be
>> comforted in knowing that their dentist participates in Ann Rule
>> Victim Identification processes.
>>
>> As some data becomes available, the information could be
>> cross-matched, or alternatively, simply browsed online by interested
>> dental people. Many dental assistants, dental hygienists, and dentists
>> might be interested enough to look over a list of missing people's
>> dentition. We have around 150,000 dentists who together with dental
>> hygienists and dental assistants comprises a not insignificant number
>> of people with lots of knowledge of teeth in America today. For
>> cross-matching, a database could be established, and patients with
>> that unusual stainless steel crown could be considered as
>> possibilities.
>>
>> I am enclosing three jpgs for a fictitious patient from my current
>> teaching file to show the sophistication of dental charting. This is
>> from our current teaching module, Dentrix Software. Additionally, I am
>> conversant in other software products. Its fairly clear that a dental
>> chart for a missing individual could be linked up and cross-checked
>> against the chart for a former dental patient. At the very least, a
>> browsable website of charts, sorted by unusual characterisitics could
>> be a source where interested dental people might help out. That system
>> would be just too simple! It could be useful to browse information at
>> www.AnnRulesDentalCharts.com
>>
>> These products are collectively known as DPMS or Dental Patient
>> Management Software. There are five or six products that control the
>> market. This includes Eastman Kodak's PracticeWorks, Schein/Sullivan's
>> Dentrix, and Patterson's Eaglesoft.
>>
>> If you would be interested in spearheading some sort of effort for
>> development of a superior web-based, victim identification tool,
>> please contact me for more details.
- Next message: Joel M. Eichen: "Re: Victim Identification Through Dental Charts"
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- In reply to: Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS: "Re: Victim Identification Through Dental Charts"
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