Forensic Odontology and Human Rights

𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲. 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗢𝗱𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆
We are honored to celebrate the presentation of the “John Clement Grant” for Postgraduate Training in Forensic Odontology, a prestigious award dedicated to advancing education, research, and international collaboration in forensic dental science.

Who was John Clement?

Prof. John Clement was an internationally respected forensic odontologist and academic whose work significantly advanced the field of human identification. He was deeply committed to education, scientific rigor, and the humanitarian application of forensic odontology—particularly in disaster victim identification (DVI) and complex identification cases.

The “John Clement Grant” was established to continue his legacy by supporting professionals seeking advanced postgraduate training in forensic odontology and strengthening global standards in human identification.

2026 Awardee
Dr. Myroslav Goncharuk-Khomyn (Ukraine).
Associate Professor, PhD
Uzhhorod National University

Dr. Goncharuk-Khomyn is a dentist, forensic odontologist, and researcher who has dedicated his career to advancing forensic identification in Ukraine.

The grant was given by Board Member Dr. Mario Torreggianti, and Past-President Prof. Emilio Nuzzolese.

Age estimation can be a safeguarding tool—but only if it’s used to protect rights, not restrict them.
This matters most in borderline cases where “juvenility” decides access to protection, freedom, and essential services.

What rights-respecting practice looks like:
- Protect, don’t punish: Use age estimation to support safeguarding—not to justify detention, exclusion, or denial of services.
- Be transparent about uncertainty: A 3–4 year error range can be decisive around legal thresholds—so it must be clearly communicated.
- Least intrusive first: Any imaging should be justified, proportionate, and based on informed consent where possible.
- No single-test decisions: Use a multidisciplinary, holistic assessment and ensure independent review/appeal pathways.
- Validate across diverse populations: Methods must be tested on diverse datasets before broad adoption—limitations should be stated upfront.

If a method carries uncertainty, the system must carry extra safeguards extra punishment.