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Home > News > December > Looking into the jaws of death
Looking into the jaws of death
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Posted: 28 Dec 2005, 1530 hours (Time is GMT +8 hours)

Report by Gail Wan
Photos by Lim Teng Yao and courtesy of LTC (Dr) Tan Peng Hui

LTC (Dr) Tan at work in the mortuary at Khao Lak, where he spent two weeks examining bodies of tsunami victims to produce post-mortem dental records.
LTC (Dr) Tan at work in the mortuary at Khao Lak, where he spent two weeks examining bodies of tsunami victims to produce post-mortem dental records.

One year ago, tsunami waves crashed onto South Asian shores, wiping out entire villages and killing over 200,000 people.

Till today, images of this horrific disaster remain fresh in the mind of Lieutenant-Colonel (Dr) Tan Peng Hui, a forensic dentist who was part of the 20-man Singapore Police Force Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team sent to Khao Lak, Thailand's worst-hit area 150 kilometres north of Phuket.

"We were preparing for the worst on our way there. We saw what was on the news and we knew the number of dead. But it is another thing to arrive at the scene in Khao Lak," recalled LTC (Dr) Tan.

"I remember the first day when we arrived, it was terrible. There were more dead than living. We went to this temple and the ground was filled with bodies. It was an 'all senses' experience. The smell was quite horrific and you see the state of the bodies - each body was decomposed and the whole place was crowded with grieving families. You literally see death and smell it."

A forensic dentist is usually called in when the pathologist has problems identifying a recovered body.

In cases where the body is highly decomposed or burnt, fingerprinting is an impossible task. DNA-matching is also ineffective, as you need to have an idea of who the deceased may be before carrying out tests.

Together with other forensic teams from over 30 countries, the DVI team members worked in eight-hour shifts to help identify the bodies.

Forensic dentistry was the final station at the mortuary, following fingerprinting and post-mortem checks of the bodies, where the dentition (arrangement of teeth) is examined, charted, photographed and X-rayed.

All the information collated was then sent to the Thai Tsunami Victim Identification Information Management Centre, where it was processed and matched with dental records sent by governments of their missing nationals.

This year has been an exceptional one for LTC (Dr) Tan (left).

Besides helping to identify tsunami victims, he was roped in for many high-profile local cases such as the Orchard Road body parts murder, the Kallang River body parts case as well as the Huang Na incident.

"Frankly, I have done more forensic work in the past 12 months than in the last 13 years!" he said.

Being the only local forensic dentist, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) regular is also a visiting consultant with the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).
An example of unusual dentition found on some of the tsunami victims – a gemstone bonded to the surface of the tooth. Such special characteristics increase the prospect of identification.
An example of unusual dentition found on some of the tsunami victims – a gemstone bonded to the surface of the tooth. Such special characteristics increase the prospect of identification.
HSA runs the mortuary in Singapore, so whenever they have cases that involve establishing identities, they will engage his expertise.

Dental identification is the most common application of forensic dentistry. Other applications include age estimation (up to 18 to 21 years old) and matching bite marks to their perpetrators.

Like orthodontics, oral surgery and endodontics, forensic dentistry is just another speciality in dentistry, but not many have the stomach for such grisly work.

"We have coping mechanisms, but I must say that I still feel a sense of anxiety and anticipation before the first visual contact with the remains. But after the first contact, this unease is over because you will be preoccupied by a lot of things that need to be done, so you don't really have time for your mind to be affected," said LTC (Dr) Tan, who also specialises in endodontics.

As a teenager, reading detective novels spurred his interest in forensic work.

Then in 1992, the SAF offered him the opportunity to study forensic dentistry overseas, to be a Singaporean pioneer in this field of study.

"It did not take me long to decide that that was what I wanted to do," said the big fan of the hit television series Crime Scene Investigation (CSI).

"I find forensic work very challenging and very meaningful, a welcome distraction from day-to-day clinical work. It allows you to work with the police and lawyers and once in a while, you go to crime scenes and read about things you already know from the papers. You also get to go to court and give evidence, as well as meet the media."

More importantly, LTC (Dr) Tan feels he is like the voice of the deceased, who is unable to speak for himself any more.

"Whether it is a victim of crime or disaster, the satisfaction comes when you contribute to the cause of justice - be it the prosecution of the perpetrator or in returning the deceased to their loved ones."

LTC (Dr) Tan sees forensic dentistry as an expanding field, mainly due to the threat of terrorism and mass disasters where there are usually a large number of casualties to identify.

"For example, in the first Bali bombing, the majority of the 200 people who died were identified by dentition," he explained.

"Forensic dentistry is becoming more important post-September 11."
AAn example of a positive identity match by comparing ante- and post-mortem dental X-rays (top and above respectively).
An example of a positive identity match by comparing ante- and post-mortem dental X-rays (top and above respectively).
Last updated on 04 Aug 2006
 
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