Dr. Ashith B. Acharya

Hi. I am Prof. Ashith Acharya, a government-recognised forensic dentist based in Dharwad, India. I am a teacher, investigator and a leading global forensic researcher (as per findings of the renowned scientific publisher Elsevier).

Forensic dentistry, or forensic odontology, is a branch of dentistry which deals with cases of legal interest and which may have crime-related implications. The subject has been gaining more and more interest in India, although full-time education opportunities are still rare.

But several dental colleges across the country have now initiated exclusive departments in the speciality, beginning with SDM College of Dental Sciences & Hospital, Dharwad, Karnataka, in 2006. Other dental institutes are slowly but surely following suit.

Forensic dentistry per se is not new to India and it has been applied in several cases through the decades, although this may not have been documented as well as experts today would have hoped for. Still, a good foundation exists and the police are aware of the need to make use of teeth in certain legal aspects, for example, in age estimation — which is the principal application of the subject in the country. Apart from this, in my experience, sex assessment of skulls, bite mark investigation and dental trauma/disability are other spheres where dentists' opinion is sought. 

But a lot more can be done and more specialists and experts are needed in a country of about 1.4 billion to fully realise the potential of this speciality.

I am India's first qualified forensic dentist and currently based in SDM College of Dental Sciences & Hospital, Dharwad, Karnataka, serving as Professor and Head of the Department of Forensic Odontology

Through my website, I wish to give you more information about my profession and speciality