Science and Forensic Odontology

Few would argue that science has not changed our lives. We are surrounded by the products of science; an array of technological tools and discoveries that continue to appear at an ever-increasing rate. For most, the word “science” would seem to encompass these technologies and also extend to the extensive body of knowledge that has been amassed describing the universe and its workings. However, our use of technology or the knowledge we have gained does not necessarily constitute the workings of science. Better dened, science is a process-a means of discovering and verifying facts. In order to gain an understanding of how science relates to forensic odontology and what its implications are, it is rst necessary to gain a working knowledge of science and investigation-how it is accomplished and how it is analyzed. e essence of the process of science has been described as the scientific method. It is by application of the scientic method that theories regarding explanations about the world are proposed, rened, or corrected through experimentation, thus bringing about the improvements and advances we have come to realize.