Episode 234 | Just Teeth and Technology

Episode Citation

McKay, J., & Aschheim, K. W. (2023, January 27). Just Science. Just Teeth and Technology. [Audio podcast episode]. The Forensic Technology Center of Excellence. https://forensiccoe.org/podcast-2023-human-remains-ep1/

Related Resources

• National Missing and Unidentified Persons Systems
• American Board of Forensic Odontology
• Human Identification by Comparative Dental Analysis
• OdontoSearch

Guest Biography

Dr. Kenneth W. Aschheim is a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Odontology and serves as the Assistant Chief Forensic Odontologist for the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), where he oversees a team of fourteen forensic odontologists. He also serves as a Forensic Odontologist to the HHS’s Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. His specialty interest is the development of national and international standards in the fields of forensics and using computer technology to assist in identifying missing and unidentified individuals. He currently chairs the American Dental Association’s (ADA) SCDI Forensic Odontology Informatics and the Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science’s Forensic Odontology Subcommittee. He previously served as a board member on the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Standards Board and is currently the Vice Chairperson of ADA’s Standards Products Committee. In addition, Dr. Aschheim serves as the United States subject matter expert in forensics data to the International Standards Organization, the International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners, and Interpol’s Forensic Odontology Disaster Victim Identification Sub Working group. As an experienced software developer and computer coder, he has been the chief architect and software consultant for developing the OCME’s Unified Victim Identification System (UVIS) and CMS Dental Identification Module Software as well as the Odontosearch website. He is currently developing artificial intelligence software using neural network technology to assist in forensic dental age estimation. He is also a co-Principal Investigator for an Artificial Intelligence in Oral and Maxillofacial Oncology project with the World Health Organizations / ITU Dental Focus Group. Finally, Dr. Aschheim is an Adjunct Clinical Professor at the New York University College of Dentistry, an Associate Clinical Professor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, a full-time dental practitioner in private practice, and has co-authored three textbooks on esthetic dentistry.