Policy on Child Identification Programs

Policy statement

The AAPD recognizes the importance of dentistry’s role in the provision of data for identification of missing or deceased children and encourages dental professionals to assist in identifying such individuals through dental records and other mechanisms. The AAPD also encourages community identification programs to include a dental component documenting the child’s dental home²¹ and encouraging consistent dental visits. A dental home should be established for every child by 12 months of age.^21,22 A detailed dental record, updated at recall appointments, economically establishes an excellent database of confidential, state-of-the-art child identification information that can be retrieved easily, stored safely, and updated periodically. The dental record may contain a thorough description of the oral cavity documenting all anomalies, a record of restorative care delivered including materials used, appropriate dental radiographs²³, photographs, study casts, and bite registration.