In memoriam
Dr. David Sweet O.C.
(December 15, 1952 - September 17, 2025)
 

It is with great sadness that we lost our dear friend, mentor and colleague Dr. David Sweet O.C. in September 2025. He was  an exceptional dentist and teacher and a world renowned researcher and forensic odontologist. David received his dental degree from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada. After six years of private practice he returned to UBC Faculty of Dentistry to teach.  After earning his PhD in Forensic Medicine from the University of Granada in Spain, his research led to the establishment of BOLD Lab (Bureau of Legal Dentistry) at UBC which was the first forensic lab dedicated to forensic odontology. Through BOLD Lab he was involved in local, national and international casework and published many scientific research papers on forensic odontology. He remained the sole Director of BOLD until he closed the doors in 2020.

In the 1990's, Dr. David Sweet together with Dr Tom Routledge, Dr Dave Hodges and others co-founded a grassroots provincial organization called BC-FORT (British Columbia Forensic Odontology Response Team). Over the years, BC-FORT trained civilian dentists, allied dental personnel and other dental forensic specialists for a DVI response (disaster victim identification). With BOLD and BC-FORT David also developed an intensive DVI training program for international military. He remained the leader of BC FORT until 2020. In BC-FORT 2022 incorporated to become FORT BC Society.

David had served in many international organizations. He was a Canadian delegate to INTERPOL including five years as the Deputy Chair (Science) of the INTERPOL DVI Standing Committee. He served a year as President of the ASFO (American Society of Forensic Odontology) and served on several committees of the ABFO (American Board of Forensic Odontology). 

His service and dedication to the field of forensic odontology is unparalleled. He will be deeply missed.