Postgraduate - UnitFOR4010 - Disaster victim identification (DVI): principles and methods

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2013 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 3, 0.125 EFTSL

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Level	Postgraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Organisational Unit	Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine
Offered	Southbank Second semester 2013 (Off-campus)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Anthony Hill

Synopsis

Forensic Odontology encompasses the intersection between dentistry and the law. Practitioners in this field require a solid understanding of all aspects of dental practice as it relates to medico-legal investigation
The aim of this unit is to provide students with a sound theoretical and practical knowledge of all Phases of the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) process and the role the forensic odontologist plays in each Phase. It will provide the student with the capability of operating in both national and international response teams.

Outcomes

Upon completion of this unit, students will be expected to have acquired the knowledge and skills required to:

Describe the core elements of Disaster Victim Identification principles and methods which underlie forensic odontology investigations following natural and man-made mass fatality incidents.
Discuss the role the forensic odontologist plays in each Phase of a DVI operation.
Describe and operate the common computer based systems used during a DVI operation.
Appraise the International protocols, standards, charting methods and the Interpol forms that are used during a DVI incident.
Recognise the various cultural, religious and legal frameworks in which international DVI incidents may occur.
Demonstrate the value of CT technology as it is employed in DVI scenarios.
Review the principals involved in medico-legal report writing as applied to DVI incidents.