NCJ Number
221672
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 52 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2007 Pages: 1338-1349
Date Published
November 2007
Length
12 pages
Annotation
In order to determine dental patients' preference for various methods of marking their dentures with patient identification, 100 patients served by the Manchester Dental Hospital (England) were shown a range of denture labeling methods in a visual questionnaire and asked to rank them by preference.
Abstract
The most preferred method of denture marking was the use of an embedded radio frequency identification microchip (top choice of 38 percent of respondents), followed by an identification technique that used onion paper (24 percent rated this method first). The least preferred method of marking dentures was the use of a groove cut into the denture flange, with 71 percent of respondents rating this as the least preferred method. A significant finding from the study was that 99 percent of the denture wearers would accept the concept of marking their dentures for identification. This acceptance contradicts the anecdotal evidence from dentists, who have often stated that patients do not want such identification. Respondents were particularly positive about such identification marking when they were informed that it could include information on their medications, blood group, and next of kin. A number of patients, however, were somewhat reluctant to include too much information on their dentures, believing it to be a potential violation of their privacy. The willingness to accept such technology was not apparently related to the patient's age or gender. The respondent sample was shown 10 8" x 10" color photographs, each portraying a different method for marking dentures for the wearer's identification. 2 tables, 10 figures, and 17 references