Comparative Assessment of Forensic Odontology Awareness Among Dental and Medical Students in Turkey
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1111/eje.70148
- Dergi Adı: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, EBSCO Education Source, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Public Affairs Index, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Biological Science Database (ProQuest), Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Education Source Ultimate (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest)
- İstanbul Üniversitesi-Cerrahpaşa Adresli: Evet
Özet
Introduction This study aimed to assess and compare the awareness and knowledge of forensic odontology among dental and medical students in Turkey with a focus on identifying educational gaps and evaluating interdisciplinary readiness. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted with 234 students (144 dental and 90 medical students) in their clinical years. The questionnaire covered five domains: demographics, exposure to forensic education, conceptual familiarity, terminology recognition and professional responsibilities. Associations between survey responses and demographic variables were analysed using Pearson's chi-square test and Cram & eacute;r's V. Results Dental students reported higher frequencies of forensic exposure, with 67.4% completing coursework and 86.8% attending workshops, compared to 28.9% and 50.0% of medical students, respectively. Conversely, medical students demonstrated higher recognition rates in specific domains, such as lip print terminology (24.4% vs. 4.9%) and the utility of teeth as a DNA source (33.3% vs. 12.5%). Senior students and female participants exhibited significantly higher indices of awareness and ethical sensitivity. Notably, a marked dissonance was observed between participants' high self-rated sufficiency (> 80%) and their limited technical familiarity with specific forensic parameters. Conclusions Despite having greater curricular exposure, dental students did not consistently demonstrate superior forensic knowledge compared to medical students, highlighting a disconnect between educational quantity and professional proficiency. Widespread deficits in critical medicolegal areas suggest that current instructional models are insufficient.