Stratford Guild's 8 April talk - 'Travels of a Forensic Dentist' - REVIEW

Speaker: Dr John Sinclair Robson

Warning - This review contains references to disasters and death, which some may find distressing.

Forensic dentistry is not an occupation with which many people are familiar. Forensic pathology is better known as a result of programmes such as Silent Witness and, for those with longer memories, Quincy ME. Forensic dentistry is most often important in establishing the identity of victims of large-scale disasters where the nature of the injuries make such identification difficult. The chaos following an aircraft crash or a large fire was graphically depicted in photos screened by Dr Robson. Pieces of aircraft, fragments of luggage, clothing, personal effects and, sadly, body parts scattered over an extensive area make identification very difficult. The heat of fires can completely destroy a body apart from the teeth which are the hardest and most durable part of the body. Hence the importance of an expert in dentistry when identification is impossible by other means.

Dr Robson explained how he had become a Forensic Dentist. Having completed his medical training at Guys Hospital, where his chosen speciality was dentistry, he joined a practice in Somerset and continued to practise throughout his career. However, when he saw an advertisement offering training in forensic dentistry he decided to apply. Following training he became attached to one of two companies which specialise in search recovery, family assistance, repatriation of bodies and liaison with the media following large-scale disasters anywhere in the world.

His first task was to attend an air disaster in Colombia in 1995. An aircraft had crashed in a mountain area and most of the 155 on board had died. The bodies of the deceased were laid out in rows and the relatives were invited to walk round and identify their own family member which they could then take away for burial. This method relied on facial recognition so beloved of writers of television dramas. Dr Robson pointed out that facial recognition is an unreliable method of identification and illustrated this by showing photos of Marilyn Monroe in life and one after death. The latter was unrecognisable as Marilyn Monroe.

Sadly, this proved true in Colombia as the following day several of the next of kin returned the bodies they had taken, having discovered it was the wrong one.

Dr Robson travelled to many different locations including Indonesia, South Africa, the Asian Tsumani in 2004 which caused the deaths of 290,000 and was the biggest mass fatality in recent history. In this country he attended the site of a multiple vehicle accident in Somerset which resulted in a large fire, the heat of which fused cars to the road. He was called to identify victims of the Grenfell Tower fire where his dental identification skills were vital because of the intensity of the fire. His last job was in Addis Ababa in 2018 where a plane crashed six minutes after takeoff. In fact, it was possible for most of the identification to be by DNA, but this is not always possible. DNA can be destroyed by extreme heat as in the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Whilst he visited many exotic locations in the course of his work the accommodation offered could be grim or even bizarre. For example, on one occasion he and his colleagues were placed in a brothel. Conditions for examining bodies were often chaotic and without basic equipment even water. Bodies might be stored outside with little protection in hot and humid conditions resulting in rapid decomposition. On one occasion Dr Robson required a dental X-ray machine, but none was available so he flew back to England to collect a spare one from the dental practice where he worked. When he returned to the cockroach infested mortuary with electric wires hanging off the walls, the bodies had to be propped in a chair in order to use the X-ray machine.

Despite all the difficulties encountered in his forensic work Dr Robson retained a delightful sense of humour which was evident in his excellent presentation which was much appreciated by those present. He concluded his presentation with these words: “We help the living by working with the dead” and “Success is a funeral”.

Judith Kennard