ISO 21611

• Abstract:

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

• Status: Not Published
• ICS: 01.040.11 - Health care technology (Vocabularies)
• ICS: 11.060.01 - Dentistry in general
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 106/SC 3 - Terminology
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 106/SC 3 - Terminology
• Current Stage: 6000 - International Standard under publication
• Start Date: 14-Oct-2026
• Completion Date: 17-Oct-2026

• Consolidates: prEN ISO 21611 - Dentistry - Vocabulary for Source Conclusion for Human Identification by Dental Evidence (ISO/DIS 21611:2025)
• Effective Date: 12-Feb-2026
• Consolidates: ISO 8549-4:2020 - Prosthetics and orthotics — Vocabulary — Part 4: Terms relating to limb amputation
• Effective Date: 07-Jan-2025

ISO 21611 is an ISO vocabulary standard for forensic reporting on human identification by dental evidence. It gives the terms used to express source conclusions in forensic odontology, so people preparing or reading dental identification reports can use the same language. The standard is aimed at forensic reporting, where clear wording matters because conclusions may be read by laboratories, investigators, and legal authorities.

What does ISO 21611 specify?

ISO 21611 specifies the terms and definitions used for human identification by dental evidence. Its scope is limited to forensic reporting, and the document is organized as a short terminology standard with Clause 1 Scope, Clause 2 Normative references, and Clause 3 Terms and definitions, followed by an index.

Clause 3 is split into general terms and terms related to the qualitative expression of source conclusion. That structure matters in practice because it separates the basic evidence language from the words used to state the final comparison result.

What are the key requirements of ISO 21611?

ISO 21611 is a vocabulary document, so its main requirement is to use the defined terms consistently when reporting dental comparisons. The practical value is not a test method, but a shared set of conclusions that can be understood across forensic settings.

• Source is the comprehensive collection of an individual’s dental data used for identification. In practice, this is the set of records or observations being compared.
• Concordant feature and concordant characteristic describe matching or distinctive dental traits that can support identification. The document notes that no specific minimum number of concordant points is required to conclude identification established, which means the decision depends on the overall qualitative comparison, not a fixed count.
• Unique concordant characteristic refers to distinctive or unusual features seen in two sources that are highly unlikely to appear elsewhere. This helps a reporter explain why a comparison supports the same source.
• Concordant tooth is a tooth or its representation that matches another representation and has no unexplained discrepancies. In practice, this is the basic comparison unit for dental evidence.
• Contextual evidence is information from the setting of an event or object that helps support a source conclusion. This matters because dental findings are often interpreted together with other case information.
• Explainable discrepancy and unexplainable discrepancy separate differences that can be reasonably justified from those that cannot. This distinction is central to deciding whether a match is acceptable or whether exclusion is warranted.
• The conclusion terms are lack of evidentiary quality for comparison, identification established, identity not excluded, inconclusive, and identity excluded. These give the reporter a controlled way to state whether comparison was possible, supportive, uncertain, or contradictory.
• ISO 21611 also gives US-equivalent wording such as positive identification (US), possible identification (US), and exclusion (US). That helps users map the terminology to different reporting traditions without changing the underlying meaning.

What terms does ISO 21611 define?

• Source - the dental data set used as the basis for identification.
• Concordant feature - a unique oro-dental feature that can help establish identity.
• Unique concordant characteristic - a distinctive feature shared by two sources that is unlikely to occur elsewhere.
• Concordant tooth - a tooth or tooth representation that matches another and has no unexplained discrepancy.
• Contextual evidence - background information from the event or object that helps support a source conclusion.
• Explainable discrepancy - a difference that can be justified by known causes.
• Unexplainable discrepancy - a difference that cannot be justified between the two sources.
• Identification established - a positive conclusion based on no unexplainable discrepancies and strong concordance.

Who uses ISO 21611?

ISO 21611 is used by forensic odontologists, forensic reporting teams, and other professionals who compare dental evidence for human identification. It is also relevant to legal authorities and reviewers who need to understand the wording of a dental source conclusion. The standard supports consistent reporting in forensic odontology and related medico-legal work.

What does the ISO 21611 document contain?

ISO 21611 is a terminology document rather than a procedural or test standard. Its content is centered on Clause 3, which defines the key words used in source conclusion reporting for dental evidence.

The document includes a short set of general terms, a second group of terms for qualitative source conclusions, and an index that lists the defined terms. The notes attached to some entries explain how the conclusions should be understood in practice, especially where a qualitative judgment is involved.

International
Standard
First edition
Dentistry — Vocabulary for source
conclusion for human identification
by dental evidence
Médecine bucco-dentaire — Vocabulaire relatif aux conclusions
tirées de sources pour l'identification des personnes à l'aide de
preuves dentaires
PROOF/ÉPREUVE
Reference number
© ISO 2026
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
PROOF/ÉPREUVE
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
3.1 General terms .1
3.2 Terms related to qualitative expression of source conclusion in human identification
by dental evidence .2
Index . 3
PROOF/ÉPREUVE
iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through
ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee
has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations,
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with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
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 document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the
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This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 106, Dentistry, Subcommittee SC 3,
Terminology, in collaboration with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee
CEN/TC 55, Dentistry, in accordance with the Agreement on technical cooperation between ISO and CEN
(Vienna Agreement).
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
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PROOF/ÉPREUVE
iv
Introduction
Forensic odontology holds an indispensable role in the identification of human individuals. Dental data
serves as one of the primary identifiers and therefore assumes a position of
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ISO/TC 106/SC 3
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Dentistry — Vocabulary for source conclusion for human
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identification by dental evidence
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Médecine bucco-dentaire — Expression qualitative des — Vocabulaire relatif aux conclusions tirées de sources
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ISO/PRF 21611:2026(en)
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All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication
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or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO
from edge: 1.27 cm, Footer distance from edge: 0.5 cm
at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: + 41 22 749 01 11
Formatted: French (Switzerland)
EmailE-mail: [e-mail]
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Website: www.iso.orgwww.iso.org
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Published in Switzerland
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ii © ISO #### 2026 – All rights reserved
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ISO/DISPRF 21611:20252026(en) Formatted: Font: 11 pt, Bold, Font color: Auto
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Contents
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Foreword . iv
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Introduction . v
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1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
3.1 General terms . 1
3.2 Terms related to qualitative expression of source conclusion in human identification by
dental evidence . 2
Index 4
Foreword . iv
Introduction . v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
3.1 source . 1
3.2 concordant feature . 1
3.3 unique concordant characteristic . 1
3.4 concordant characteristic . 1
3.5 concordant tooth . 1
3.6 contextual evidence . 1
3.7 explainable discrepancy . 1
3.8 unexplainable discrepancy . 2
3.9 Qualitative expression of source conclusion in human identification by dental . 2
evidence . 2
3.9.1 lack of evidentiary quality for comparison . 2
3.9.2 identification established . 2
3.9.3 identity not excluded . 2
3.9.4 inconclusive . 2
3.9.5 identity excluded . 3

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ISO/PRF 21611:2026(en)
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Foreword
Adjust space between Asian text and numbers
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through
ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
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 document 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).
Formatted: English (United Kingdom)
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 evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent rights
in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received notice of (a) patent(s)
which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that this may not
represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at
www.iso.org/patents.www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held
...