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 Toothprints®
and Child Identification
One of our worst fears we all have had is that our children could get lost,
or worse, abducted. The Massachusetts Masonic Lodges in conjunction with the
Massachusetts Dental Society and Massachusetts Association of Crime
Prevention Officers has implemented the CHIP (Child Identification Program),
and to date have taken videos, fingerprints and Toothprints®
on over 200,000 children in the Commonwealth. The Massachusetts program is
the most comprehensive program in the world.
What is a Toothprints®?
A softened thermoplastic wafer that is placed in
 the child's mouth. They are
 instructed to "bite tight like a lion" to make a recording of the size and
shape of teeth, the position of the teeth in the jaw, and the relationships
of the jaws to each other. The impression is a permanent record like
fingerprints, it is unique to every individual. Even identical twins have
different Toothprints®. Children should
have Toothprints®
at age 3-4, again at age 8-9 and finally at age 11-12, if there are no
fillings or other dental identifiers. The other major advantage to the
impression is (1) the saliva provides cells for DNA sample, and (2) the
saliva scent on the wafer can be used for scent dogs to track lost or
missing children.
What Do We Do?
Take the bite impression and place it in a zip lock
bag with the child's name on it. Do not open the bag because it will
contaminate the scent and perhaps the DNA sample. Instruct the parents to place
the bag
in a safe spot where they can remember where it is. Keep it with a recent
photograph.
This is the FIRST step in Child Safety, but...
. . . you should attend a CHIP program with the videos,
fingerprints' and tons of EDUCATIONAL information when it is held in your
community, a list of events can be found on the web at
www.mychip.org. Hopefully, no one will
ever need any of this. We will be perfectly happy if we waste the wafer and
the bag. However, if it ever makes a difference, we would be very thankful.
Dental Professionals:
Click here to print a form
to be given to your patients explaining
Toothprints®.
Click here for an article on The Anatomy of a Properly
Taken Toothprint.
Click
here for an Instructional Wafer Card
Click here for an Instructional Video
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