Evaluation of intraoral CCD camera for dental examination in forensic inspection.

This study was performed to assess the effectiveness of an intraoral CCD camera for dental examinations when sufficient jaw opening or adequate lighting cannot be obtained. A handpiece-type intraoral CCD camera (Crystal Cam; GC Corp., Japan) was used for the study. Because a full view taken by the intraoral CCD camera covers only one or two teeth, all the teeth were individually photographed and a view of the dentition assembled on a personal computer. Assuming that the jaw could not be opened widely enough to inspect an occlusal view, a dry skull and a volunteer were restricted to open the mouth and all the teeth were photographed with an intraoral CCD camera. These were compared to intraoral photographs taken by the conventional method using a single-lens reflex camera and mirror. When the intraoral CCD camera was used to photograph teeth, the color tone of metal restorations could be readily identified, but special care was required to identify carious lesions, discoloration of tooth structure, and esthetic restorations. The dentition photographs assembled from the original intraoral CCD images were transferred via the Internet as e-mail attachment files to allow preparation of the dental chart at the destination. Based on the transferred images, it was possible to prepare a dental chart agreeing satisfactorily with actual oral conditions. The easy transfer of digital images provides various advantages in evaluating and discussing certain cases in cooperation with other forensic odontologists via the Internet. The camera may be made more effective or useful through improvement of the tip portion of the camera and the entire system to achieve a more compact design and better portability.