Students from the Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FKG UGM) won second place at The 1st Indonesian Forensic Odontology Student Olympiad (IFOS) , held at Mahasaraswati University Bali on 1–2 June 2025. This national-level competition brought together student teams from various dental schools in Indonesia, including Universitas Indonesia (UI), Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU), and Universitas Trisakti.
The FKG UGM team, consisting of Selcaria Istna Datau, Aini Hasibah Ningtyas, and Amalia Nur Faadiya, competed as finalists from a faculty without a forensic odontology (Sp.OF) specialist mentor. Despite this challenge, they demonstrated exceptional competence and outperformed other teams.
In the final round, the competition had two stages. The first involved answering 10 multiple-choice questions per team, where FKG UGM initially scored the lowest with 80 points.
However, they remained focused and confident moving on to the second stage: case analysis. In the second round, participants had to complete a dental coding (odontogram) of an unidentified skeletal remain. Their results were then compared with three reference data sets from living individuals. “This round was quite tense because we had to answer quickly and accurately. Even so, we managed to perform well and recorded the best result in this session,”said Selcaria.
Learning Without a Forensic Odontology Mentor
The team’s success drew attention because they were the only finalists without guidance from a forensic odontology specialist. This posed a unique challenge, considering the highly technical and rapidly evolving nature of the field.
Team member Aini shared, “Even without direct supervision from a forensic odontology specialist, we relied on independent learning and systematically organized materials based on possible questions.”
Meanwhile, Amalia emphasized that forensic odontology is a continuously developing field that requires constant updates, especially in the international context.
“From this competition, we realized even more that dentists play a vital role in forensic science. We hope this will inspire greater interest in forensic odontology at UGM and open opportunities for future contributions,” she said.
Commitment to Advancing Forensic Odontology
Faculty mentor Dr. Drg. Rini Widyaningrum, M.Biotech., praised the team’s impressive performance in the final. Despite being in fourth place after the first round, they excelled in the second round, surpassing three other finalists to secure second place overall. “They showed strong interest in forensic odontology, great enthusiasm for learning, and resilience. Those were the keys to their success,” she explained.
This achievement reflects the significant potential of FKG UGM students in this emerging field. The team hopes to share their knowledge with younger students, especially in their roles as forensic practicum assistants for pre-clinical students.
Dr. Rini also expressed hope that this milestone will mark the beginning of consistent talent development. “I want this team to share their experiences so that in the future, UGM can continue participating and achieving in forensic odontology every year,” she added.
Contributor: Selcaria Istna Datau | Author: Fajar Budi Harsakti
