prEN ISO 21611

Dentistry - Vocabulary for Source Conclusion for Human Identification by Dental Evidence (ISO/DIS 21611:2025)

This document is intended for forensic reporting on human identification by dental evidence.

Zahnheilkunde - Begriffe für den Quellenschluss zur Identifizierung von Menschen durch zahnmedizinische Beweise (ISO/DIS 21611:2025)

Médecine bucco-dentaire - Vocabulaire relatif aux conclusions tirées de sources pour l'identification des personnes à l'aide de preuves dentaires (ISO/DIS 21611:2025)

Zobozdravstvo - Slovar izrazov za sklepanje o identiteti človeka na podlagi zobozdravstvenih dokazov (ISO/DIS 21611:2025)

General Information

• Status: Not Published
• Publication Date: 03-Mar-2027
• ICS: 01.040.11 - Health care technology (Vocabularies)
• ICS: 11.060.01 - Dentistry in general
• Technical Committee: CEN/TC 55 - Dentistry
• Drafting Committee: CEN/TC 55 - Dentistry
• Current Stage: 4060 - Closure of enquiry - Enquiry
• Start Date: 27-Oct-2025
• Due Date: 01-May-2026
• Completion Date: 27-Oct-2025
• Ref Project: oSIST prEN ISO 21611:2025 - Dentistry - Vocabulary for Source Conclusion for Human Identification by Dental Evidence (ISO/DIS 21611:2025)

Overview

prEN ISO 21611 (ISO/DIS 21611:2025) defines a standardized vocabulary for source conclusion in human identification using dental evidence. Prepared by ISO/TC 106/SC 3, this draft international standard is intended for forensic reporting in forensic odontology and establishes common qualitative expressions to describe the strength of dental identification conclusions. The document is circulated as a draft for comment and may be updated before final publication.

Key topics

• Scope: Terms and definitions used for forensic reporting on human identification by dental evidence.
• Core definitions: clear definitions for source (comprehensive dental data), concordant feature/characteristic, unique concordant characteristic, and concordant tooth.
• Discrepancies: terminology for explainable discrepancy versus unexplainable discrepancy, clarifying when differences can be reasonably accounted for.
• Contextual evidence: role of scene, circumstantial or ancillary information that supports dental source conclusions.
• Qualitative source conclusions: standardized outcome categories for reporting:
  • Identification established (positive identification)
  • Identity not excluded with subcategories identity probable and identity possible
  • Inconclusive
  • Identity excluded (exclusion)
  • Lack of evidentiary quality for comparison
• Reporting guidance highlights: the draft emphasizes qualitative expressions rather than prescriptive numeric thresholds - e.g., no minimum number of concordant points is mandated to state a positive identification.

Applications

• Standardizes language used in forensic odontology reports, making findings clearer and more consistent for legal and investigative stakeholders.
• Supports interpretation of dental evidence in:
  • criminal investigations
  • medicolegal death investigations
  • mass disaster victim identification
  • missing persons cases
• Useful for forensic odontologists, forensic pathologists, coroners, crime laboratories, law enforcement investigators, and legal practitioners to communicate identification certainty in a harmonized way.

Who should use it

• Forensic odontologists and dental examiners preparing expert reports
• Forensic laboratories and medico-legal offices that handle human identification
• Judicial and investigative bodies interpreting dental identification evidence
• Standards bodies and educators developing training or protocols in forensic dentistry

Related resources

• ISO terminology resources (ISO Online Browsing Platform) and IEC Electropedia are referenced for consistent term usage.
• The draft follows ISO editorial rules (ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2) and is subject to ISO/CEN parallel processing and committee review before final publication.

Keywords: forensic odontology, dental evidence, human identification, source conclusion, ISO 21611, forensic reporting, concordant characteristic.

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-oktober-2025
Zobozdravstvo - Slovar izrazov za sklepanje o identiteti človeka na podlagi
zobozdravstvenih dokazov (ISO/DIS 21611:2025)
Dentistry - Vocabulary for Source Conclusion for Human Identification by Dental
Evidence (ISO/DIS 21611:2025)
Zahnheilkunde - Begriffe für den Quellenschluss zur Identifizierung von Menschen durch
zahnmedizinische Beweise (ISO/DIS 21611:2025)
Médecine bucco-dentaire - Vocabulaire relatif aux conclusions tirées de sources pour
l'identification des personnes à l'aide de preuves dentaires (ISO/DIS 21611:2025)
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN ISO 21611
ICS:
01.040.11 Zdravstveno varstvo Health care technology
(Slovarji) (Vocabularies)
11.060.01 Zobozdravstvo na splošno Dentistry in general
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

DRAFT
International
Standard
ISO/DIS 21611
ISO/TC 106/SC 3
Dentistry — Vocabulary for
Secretariat: SCC
Source Conclusion for Human
Voting begins on:
Identification by Dental Evidence
2025-08-04
Médecine bucco-dentaire — Expression qualitative des
Voting terminates on:
conclusions sources en odontologie légale
2025-10-27
ICS: 11.060.01; 01.040.11
THIS DOCUMENT IS A DRAFT CIRCULATED
FOR COMMENTS AND APPROVAL. IT
IS THEREFORE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
AND MAY NOT BE REFERRED TO AS AN
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD UNTIL
PUBLISHED AS SUCH.
This document is circulated as received from the committee secretariat.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL,
TECHNOLOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND
USER PURPOSES, DRAFT INTERNATIONAL
STANDARDS MAY ON OCCASION HAVE TO
ISO/CEN PARALLEL PROCESSING
BE CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF THEIR
POTENTIAL TO BECOME STANDARDS TO
WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN
NATIONAL REGULATIONS.
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED
TO SUBMIT, WITH THEIR COMMENTS,
NOTIFICATION OF ANY RELEVANT PATENT
RIGHTS OF WHICH THEY ARE AWARE AND TO
PROVIDE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION.
Reference number
ISO/DIS 21611:2025(en)
DRAFT
ISO/DIS 21611:2025(en)
International
Standard
ISO/DIS 21611
ISO/TC 106/SC 3
Dentistry — Vocabulary for
Secretariat: SCC
Source Conclusion for Human
Voting begins on:
Identification by Dental Evidence
Médecine bucco-dentaire — Expression qualitative des
Voting terminates on:
conclusions sources en odontologie légale
ICS: 11.060.01; 01.040.11
THIS DOCUMENT IS A DRAFT CIRCULATED
FOR COMMENTS AND APPROVAL. IT
IS THEREFORE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
AND MAY NOT BE REFERRED TO AS AN
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD UNTIL
PUBLISHED AS SUCH.
This document is circulated as received from the committee secretariat.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL,
© ISO 2025
TECHNOLOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND
USER PURPOSES, DRAFT INTERNATIONAL
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
STANDARDS MAY ON OCCASION HAVE TO
ISO/CEN PARALLEL PROCESSING
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
BE CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF THEIR
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
POTENTIAL TO BECOME STANDARDS TO
WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
NATIONAL REGULATIONS.
ISO copyright office
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
TO SUBMIT, WITH THEIR COMMENTS,
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
NOTIFICATION OF ANY RELEVANT PATENT
Phone: [phone]
RIGHTS OF WHICH THEY ARE AWARE AND TO
PROVIDE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION.
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland Reference number
ISO/DIS 21611:2025(en)
ii
ISO/DIS 21611:2025(en)
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1

iii
ISO/DIS 21611:2025(en)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
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The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types
of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the
ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the
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