Forensic Odontology Course
The specialization in Forensic Odontology is an international course designed to provide practicing health professionals and all the professionals related with skills and experience in the field of forensic odontology. A forensic odontology qualification allows dentists to perform forensic examinations as required by law enforcement agencies, courts, or criminal policies. The specialization offers an emphasis on practical aspects of forensic odontology and an in-depth understanding of the correct professional handling, examination, interpretation, and presentation of dental and oral evidence which may come before the legal authorities. Forensic Odontologists provide an important service to the community in civil, criminal, labor and deontological jurisdictions. Before applying, prospective students should consider that the nature of the concepts and casework required are often confronting and may be distressing to some people.
This specialization is designed for national and international practicing dentists who wish to gain experience in the professional field of forensic odontology, and for all professionals who are somehow related to the different areas of intervention of forensic odontology. They are professionals in the field of law, medicine, nursing, oral hygiene, and other areas that intervene in an interdisciplinary way. This specialization in the field of forensic odontology designed with a specified component for those professionals, will provide a technical-scientific training that allows them, within each professional area, to perform more appropriately in the field of forensic odontology.
With this international specialization in Forensic Odontology, the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Dental Medicine University of Lisbon with collaboration of the Faculty of Dental Medicine of the University of Zagreb thus continue their function of qualifying graduates and promoting research and specialized intervention in this area of knowledge, privileging interdisciplinary and biosocial intervention.
The Specialization Course Diploma in Forensic Odontology is certified and managed by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon with the collaboration of the Faculty of Dental Medicine of the University of Lisbon and the Faculty of Dental Medicine of Zagreb.
English is mandatory.
Portuguese is opcional.
3 reasons to choose this program
1.
The only international European Course in Forensic Odontology with practical and theoretical lectures. One year program with almost 400 hours of lectures.
2.
The graduate diploma in Forensic Odontology has a practical focus with case records and reports for instances in oral autopsies, bite-mark, age estimation and oral damage evaluation.
3.
The opportunity to develop research in the field of Forensic Odontology.
Objectives
- Create a period of acquisition of basic skills in forensic dentistry (knowledge, skills and attitudes), in view of preparing health professionals and other professionals in the forensic and judicial sciences to act correctly and appropriately, in the best interest of society and always under the terms of the law, when confronted in their professional life with issues of the nature of forensic medicine, regardless of the area in which they work, in order to contribute to a good administration of Justice, to the prevention of violence and to the treatment, protection , rehabilitation and reintegration of people involved in issues with forensic and medico-legal repercussions.
- Provide theoretical knowledge and practical skills within the scope of the intervention of Forensic Odontology.
Skills acquisition
- Enable students to obtain a set of basic knowledge about the various aspects of forensic dentistry, in terms of its scope, objectives, competencies and pertinent legislation, with particular emphasis on how this science can and should articulate with the remaining areas of medico-legal, legal, judicial and forensic intervention. This training is evaluated, for holders of a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Dentistry and Medicine, through the practical competence that the student demonstrates in the practical realization of the fundamental medico-legal expertise in the legislation in force within the scope of the same.
- For students holding other courses in addition to those previously indicated, that training is assessed through the competence of acquiring theoretical knowledge in the field of Forensic Odontology.
- Enable the dentist to obtain the competence in Forensic Odontology.
- Provide to the general dentist skills to be a forensic expert in Forensic Odontology with the capability to work in judicial and judiciary forensic cases and effectively join national or international forensic odontology team in DVI.
Target Students
- Holders of a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Dentistry and Medicine,
- Holders of a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Law, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Forensic and Criminal Laboratory Sciences, Biology, Psychology, Anthropology, Nursing, Oral Hygiene and Police Sciences;
- Holders of a bachelor's or master's degree whose curriculum demonstrates adequate basic preparation and on which the scientific committee of the study cycle gives a favorable opinion;
- Holders of equivalent foreign university degrees, whose curriculum demonstrates adequate basic preparation and on which the scientific committee of the study cycle gives a favorable opinion;
Professional Opportunities
This specialization course provides the necessary tools to pursue research in Forensic Odontology. It is a specialization course recommended for all professionals who act as experts in the areas of Forensic Odontology:
- Dentists and doctors contracted to exercise expert functions in the Courts;
- Dentists and doctors contracted to exercise expert functions in the Portuguese National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences;
- Forensic expert dentists and doctors or lawyers from insurance companies;
- For international applicants, career opportunities are the same from previously lines 1,2 and 3, but in their respective countries.
Research Line
This specialization course provides the necessary tools to pursue research in several areas of Forensic Odontology, for instances age estimation and human identification. The applicants can select a research project to work under supervision parallel to the diploma course.
Candidate profile
This specialization course is recommended for anyone interested in obtaining advanced training in the field of Forensic Dentistry and its applications. They include professionals who already act as experts, specialists, researchers, and professionals in this area and in other forensic and legal areas connected to this area of forensic sciences.
This course is recommended for the dentist interested in obtaining the competence in Forensic Odontology.
Assessment
The assessment of knowledge will be carried out, for each curricular unit, through a written exam, to be carried out exclusively in two periods designated - normal and recourse. The exams will have a quantitative classification on a scale of zero to twenty. The final classification of each curricular unit corresponds to the grade obtained in the final exam. A classification of less than 10 implies failure in the curricular unit.
The final classification of the specialization is calculated using the arithmetic average by ECTs of the marks obtained in each of the curricular units. A student finishes the specialization course when he has obligatorily obtained 60 ECTS. If the student fails at least one of the curricular units, he does not complete the specialization course.
Frequency acquisition
It is mandatory to attend at least 80% of all theoretical classes in each curricular unit and 100% of all practical/laboratory classes. Failure to comply with this attendance will result in automatic failure of the student in the curricular unit.
Language
English is mandatory.
Portuguese is opcional.
Number of vacancies
Minimum 15, Maximum 20
Conditions of Admission
The applicants for the course will be selected according to the selection criteria to be published in the Course Notice for 2024-2025. All applicants admitted to the selection process are graded according to the score obtained in the curricular selection process, which can be eliminatory, and interviewed according to the weighting defined by the Scientific Committee of the Specialization Course:
Curricular Assessment: 60% ;
Interview: 40%.
Other Information
To apply please visit: https://fenix.medicina.ulisboa.pt
Candidates who already have a CAMPUS account (who are attending or have attended a course at the Faculdade de Medicina), must start the application at https://fenix.medicina.ulisboa.pt
To access must log in with the Campus account and then access the Candidate menu (at the top of the page) to start the application.
If you don’t remember the username or password of the account click HERE and follow the instructions for the recovery of the username or password. If you cannot retrieve your username or password trough the recovery mechanism, you should send an email to the address suporte@medicina.ulisboa.pt with the following data: full name; student number; course number identification; ID number (BI/CC); External email.
Applicants who do not have access to the Campus account (Fenix) should register HERE.
After creating your account you will receive in your email the username after which can start the formalization of the application in https://fenix.medicina.ulisboa.pt
Coordination
