Courses & Meetings

The courses and meetings listed below are currently available for anyone wishing to increase their didactic knowledge and hands-on skills in forensic odontology or to fulfill requirements necessary to gain membership in various forensic dental organizations in the U.S.. Persons interested in membership with the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) should familiarize themselves with the minimum requirements as stated below.

An applicant to the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Odontology section must complete forty (40) hours of Forensic Odontology education.  This coursework shall be completed in the seven (7) years preceding the application and must include:

  1. A minimum of four (4) hours of Bitemark, four (4) hours of Dental Identification, and four (4) hours of either Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) or Age Estimation;
  2. The balance of courses may be on any topic relevant to Forensic Odontology;
  3. Applicant may gain a maximum of either eight (8) hours of credit by attending the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Forensic Odontology or eight (8) hours of the AAFS Scientific Sessions of the Odontology Section;
  4. Certificates from these courses submitted must contain the learning objectives and outcomes and how those were met as well as the number of hours per topic.
  5. Be actively associated with an agency engaged in forensic odontology, and
  6. Have one (1) year or more experience in forensic odontology, and
  7. Two (2) letters of reference. References must be either full Members or Fellows of the Odontology Section of the AAFS and must be able to comment knowledgeably on the applicant’s qualifications. International applicants residing outside of North America (defined as United States, Canada, and Mexico) who are unable to secure the required two (2) letters of reference, may submit one (1) letter of reference from a full Member or Fellow of the Odontology Section of the AAFS and one (1) letter of reference from a non-member who are of appropriate professional standing and can comment knowledgeably on the applicant’s qualifications.

Courses include:

  1. ASFO Annual Meeting. (Pending Approval)
  2. AAFS Odontology Annual Scientific Sessions.
  3. Master After Master Program of Forensic Odontology/Leuven, Belgium – Dr. Guy Williams, guy.williams@med.kuleuven.be & Dr. Patrick Thevissen, patrick.thevissen@med.luleuven.be
  4. Annual International Association of Coroners and Medical 4 Examiners/Las Vegas, NV – www.iacme.com
  5. ABFO Age Estimation Workshop (offered in February of odd years) – Dr. Kathy Kasper, exfiles11@aol.com
  6. ABFO Bitemark Workshop (offered in February of even years) – Dr. Robert Dorion, RDorion@abfo.org
  7. ABFO Expert Witness Testimony Workshop (offered in February of odd years)- Dr. Tom David, TDavid@abfo.org
  8. ABFO Dental Identification Workshop (offered in February of even years) – Dr. Anthony Cardoza, acardoza@abfo.org
  9. Forensic Odontology in a Medical Examiner’s Office/University of Detroit Mercy, MI – Dr. Alan Warnick, kimberly.mercier@udmercy.edu
  10. Forensic Dentistry Program/McGill, Canada – Dr. Robert Dorion, rdorion@abfo.org
  11. Southwest Symposium on Forensic Dentistry/UTHSC @ San Antonio, TX – Dr. David Senn, senn@uthscsa.edu
  12. Forensic Dentistry Fellowship, University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine (Knoxville, TN) – Dr. Jim Lewis, Director jmlewisdmd@knology.net; Fellowship information: http://gsm.utmck.edu/dentistry/fellowship.cfm#forensic
  13. Forensic Odontology National Conference: All That Remains; University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine (Knoxville, TN); Offered in the summer of odd years; Dr. Jim Lewis (jmlewisdmd@knology.net) Meeting information: http://gsm.utmck.edu/cme/cme_courses.cfm
  14. Clandestine Grave Recovery for the Forensic Dentist; University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine (Knoxville, TN); Martha Gale (MGale@utmck.edu); Course information: http://gsm.utmck.edu/cme/cme_courses.cfm

  • ABFO Bitemark Workshop

    Date: February 15, 2020 - February 15, 2020
    Location: Anaheim, CA
    Short Description:

    Date: Saturday, February 15, 2020, Anaheim, CA

    Time: 8:00AM – 5:00PM

    Place: TBA Fee: Participant US / $750 Observer US$350

     

    “Participant” and “Observer” must have a DMD, DDS or equivalent degree.

     

    Workshop Objectives: 1. To provide hands-on training and experience in forensic bitemark recognition and analysis. 2. To provide credit for two (2) bitemark cases required for ABFO board exam eligibility if this workshop is successfully completed by a Participant.

     

    Workshop attendees (Participant and Observer) will have the opportunity to participate in the on-line webinar presentations 60–90 days prior to the February 15, 2020 workshop. The subjects covered will include bitemark recognition, photography protocols, the use of Adobe Photoshop®, the evidentiary value of the bitemark (quantitative and qualitative), evidence collection from the bite recipient and suspected biter(s), comparison methods and techniques, report writing, and more.

     

    Participants will receive a bitemark case that shall be fully and completely worked-up independently, without assistance from any source, in preparation for the February 15, 2020 workshop. Since the object of the exercise is, in part, to establish the knowledge of the Participant and the application of bitemark principles, methodology, terms, standards and guidelines, independent validation and evaluation of the final report will be assessed and scored by ABFO Fellow proctors present at the workshop. Constructive evaluation of the Participant’s case presentation and report by ABFO Fellow proctors will be shared during a question-and-answer session following each Participant’s case presentation. Workshop Observers, as well as a limited number of ABFO Fellows, may attend the Participants’ case presentations.

     

    A successful Participant who is familiar with the bitemark literature, uses current bitemark terminology, standards and guidelines, accepted analytical and report writing methods, and establishes opinions and conclusions on the preceding, shall be credited for two (2) of the bitemark cases required for ABFO board exam eligibility.

     

    Please note that a basic knowledge of the Photoshop® software including creating, editing, and saving files; importing and resizing images; changing canvas and image sizes and resolution; and basic image, file management and archiving issues, etc., is an essential prerequisite to applying for this workshop.
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  • ABFO Dental Identification Workshop

    Date: February 16, 2020 - February 20, 2016
    Location: Anaheim, CA
    Short Description:

    Date: Sunday February 16, 2020, Anaheim, CA

    Time: Lectures/Workshop: 8:00AM – 5:00PM

    Fee: Full Participants (Lectures and Workshop): US$750 / Attendees (Lectures only): US$350

     

    “Participants” and “Attendees” must have a DMD, DDS or equivalent degree.

     

    Workshop Objectives: 1. To provide hands-on experience of forensic dental examination techniques. 2. To present the importance of; history and basics through advanced techniques of forensic dental human identification. 3. To provide up to five of the required identification credits for ABFO board exam eligibility.

     

    The presentations will focus on forensic dental examination, comparison and identification techniques. They will cover pertinent topics such as access to the oral structures, dental features useful in comparative dental identification (restorative and anatomic), missing and unidentified person reports and databases, cremated remains examination, dental biological profiling, the role of the forensic dentist in mass fatality incident identification and more.

     

    During the workshop session participants will complete identifications using WinID, examine a series of “historic paper” cases and will be evaluated by members of both the ABFO Missing and Unidentified Persons and Certification and Examination Committees. Those whose dental identifications, reports and successful completion of historic ID cases meet certain standards, will be given credit for up to five of the ID requirements for ABFO board eligibility. The Workshop will accept twenty-five “full participants” for Workshop/Lectures as well as an unlimited number of “attendees” that will observe the morning lecture sessions. Full participants will be sent antemortem records ahead of time to facilitate advance preparation. Please note that a basic knowledge of the Windows® software including creating files, word/.pdf documents, cutting and pasting images, downloading files and .exe files will be essential to satisfactorily complete this course.

     

    For more information please contact Anthony R. Cardoza DDS, D-ABFO at: acardoza@abfo.org O: 619-444-6196
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