Toothprinting: Another way to take a bite out of crime

One Northwest suburban dentist believes child safety goes beyond fluoride and flossing.

Dr. Nancy Bagel, who practices in Palatine, says keeping records of children's teeth can be a preemptive measure to help parents find or identify their children in a time of emergency.

Called toothprinting, it's a process that works similar to fingerprinting. Children bite into a waxy wafer, which records bite impressions and DNA from saliva.

Bagel said the DNA can help police track missing children and bite impressions can identify children in worst-case scenarios.

"We never want anyone to have to need it," said Suzanna Brand-Rush, the office's dental hygienist. "It's really only just a safety measure, just something to have on hand in case, God forbid, you'd ever need it."

The procedure, which is normally done during a checkup, takes about three minutes.

Afterward, the dentist's office gives parents a sealed plastic bag with the impression. The office does not keep a copy of the record.

"We need it to be accessible to the parent," Brand-Rush said. "If a child is lost in the park, we need (parents) to be able to give that information to the police."

Because the office does not keep records of which patients got the impressions, Bagel does not know how many children had impressions taken or if any parents have used them to locate children in the three years the office has been providing the service.

Officials at some area police stations said they have not heard of this procedure or seen it being used. Some police stations, including Rolling Meadows, ask parents for dental records when an incident has occurred, said Rolling Meadows police Sgt. Tony Gaspari.

"DNA will help identify people, same with dental records," Gaspari said, "and they can be used in court."

Because the Illinois State Police does not maintain a database of dental records or fingerprints for non-criminals, State Police Sgt. Juan Valenzuela said it is always helpful for parents to get their children's prints - and toothprints - and keep them in a safe place.

Valenzuela said he knows of children who were abducted but found years later, and it was these kinds of prints that helped identify them.

"It's something that would be able to assist law enforcement in case there's an incident in the future," Valenzuela said. "By having certain tools at your side like fingerprints or dental records, it can assist to properly identify a child."

The impression at Bagel's office usually costs $15, but for the month of September, both patients and non-patients can have it done for $10, $5 of which will be donated to Children's Memorial Foundation.

Since children's teeth change every year, Bagel recommends children come in for an impression for the first time around age 3, again at age 7-8 when they lose their front baby teeth and again at age 12-13 when they acquire permanent teeth.

Bagel said toothprinting might be less scary for children than fingerprinting.

"Sometimes fingerprinting can be associated with a criminal," Bagel said. "For young children, everyone is always used to biting into something; the whole process takes a few minutes, and it doesn't seem foreign to what we normally do."

To reach her office, call (847) 934-1177.