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INTERPOL DVI

Definition

The INTERPOL Disaster Victim Identification process, governed by the INTERPOL DVI Guide (current edition 2018). Dental data are recorded on colour-coded forms: pink for postmortem data, yellow for ante-mortem data. Both use FDI notation.

Primary dental notation system
FDI notation
Current guide edition
2018
Postmortem form color
Pink
Ante-mortem form color
Yellow

Common questions

What is INTERPOL DVI and when is it used?+

INTERPOL DVI (Disaster Victim Identification) is a standardized framework for identifying victims in mass-casualty events. It is used when multiple deaths occur in disasters like plane crashes, earthquakes, or building collapses.

How do dental records play a role in INTERPOL DVI?+

Dental identification is one of three primary methods in the INTERPOL DVI framework. Dental records are compared using standardized color-coded forms, pink for postmortem data and yellow for ante-mortem (before-death) records, both recorded in FDI notation.

What makes INTERPOL DVI procedures reliable across countries?+

The INTERPOL DVI Guide provides standardized forms, procedures, and coordination structures for identifying victims in mass-casualty events. This ensures consistency whether a disaster strikes in one country or involves victims from multiple nations.

Related terms

ABFO
American Board of Forensic Odontology: the specialty certification body in the United States that examines and certifies forensic odontologists as Diplomates, and...
Ante-Mortem Record
Any dental document created during a person's lifetime: clinical charts, radiographs (periapical, panoramic, bitewing), photographs, study models, and treatment notes. These are...
Dental Chart
A systematic tooth-by-tooth record of the clinical state of a dentition, including restorations, missing teeth, prosthetics, pathology, and morphological features. Both ante-mortem...
Diplomate (ABFO)
The certification grade awarded by the ABFO to forensic odontologists who meet its education, training, and examination requirements. In US courts, ABFO...
DVI Pink Form
The INTERPOL standardised Dental Identification Form used to record antemortem and postmortem dental findings in a format that supports reconciliation by a...
Foundational Validity
The requirement, articulated in the 2009 US National Academy of Sciences report and taken up by courts and reform bodies, that a...
ISO 17025
International standard for the general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. Covers management system requirements (document control, internal audits,...
Pontic
The artificial tooth in a fixed bridge that spans the gap left by a missing tooth. The pontic is not attached to...
Postmortem Dental Record
The dental chart completed by a forensic odontologist during examination of deceased remains. Created under autopsy or scene conditions, often from partially...
Restoration Surface
The specific face(s) of a tooth carrying a filling or other restoration. Surfaces are abbreviated M (mesial), D (distal), O (occlusal), B...

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