Kabbashi Salma, Bailie Keane, Chandler Susan, Chetty Manogari
Department of Craniofacial Biology, Pathology, & Radiology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, 7500, South Africa.
Forensic Sci Int Synerg. 2025 Jul 2;11:100622. doi: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2025.100622. eCollection 2025 Dec.
Forensic odontology plays a vital role in human identification, age estimation, and legal investigations. However, in Sub-Saharan Africa, the field has developed within a framework shaped by colonial histories, Western methodologies, and systemic underinvestment in local capacity. This article critically examines the need to decolonise forensic odontology in the region, proposing a comprehensive reform agenda grounded in four intersecting domains: historical legacies, indigenous knowledge integration, ethical considerations, and policy reform. It highlights how colonial-era forensic practices continue to influence current protocols and legal standards, often to the detriment of scientific accuracy and justice. By recognising and incorporating traditional dental knowledge, such as ritual dental modifications and community oral histories, the field can be enriched and made more contextually relevant. Ethical challenges surrounding data sovereignty, informed consent, cultural sensitivity, and the use of contested techniques are addressed, with recommendations for more equitable and transparent forensic practices. Policy reforms are proposed to institutionalise forensic odontology through education, infrastructure development, legal recognition, and collaborative networks. The article argues that decolonisation is not a rejection of global science but a reorientation toward context-appropriate, ethically grounded, and locally led forensic systems. Through these reforms, Sub-Saharan Africa can build a forensic odontology discipline that is scientifically robust, culturally responsive, and capable of delivering justice and dignity to affected communities.
法医牙科学在身份鉴定、年龄估计和法律调查中发挥着至关重要的作用。然而，在撒哈拉以南非洲地区，该领域是在殖民历史、西方方法以及对当地能力系统性投资不足所形成的框架内发展起来的。本文批判性地审视了该地区法医牙科学去殖民化的必要性，提出了一项基于四个交叉领域的全面改革议程：历史遗留问题、本土知识整合、伦理考量和政策改革。文章强调了殖民时代的法医实践如何继续影响当前的规程和法律标准，这往往有损于科学准确性和公正性。通过认可并纳入传统牙科知识，如仪式性牙齿改造和社区口腔历史，该领域能够得到丰富，并使其更贴合实际情况。文中探讨了围绕数据主权、知情同意、文化敏感性以及使用有争议技术的伦理挑战，并就更公平、透明的法医实践提出了建议。提议通过教育、基础设施建设、法律认可和合作网络等方式，对法医牙科学进行制度化的政策改革。文章认为，去殖民化并非是对全球科学的排斥，而是朝着因地制宜、有伦理依据且由当地主导的法医系统进行重新定位。通过这些改革，撒哈拉以南非洲地区能够建立起一门科学严谨、文化适应力强且能够为受影响社区伸张正义并维护尊严的法医牙科学学科。
