SPRINGBORO — Dr. Gregory McDonald is back in suburban Warren County, taking care of patients in his family dental practice.

        But in his mind are memories of a horrific scene.

        Dr. McDonald was part of a team of forensic dentists helping identify remains recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Center.

Dr. Gregory McDonald, a forensic specialist who has a dental practice in Springboro, volunteered to go to New York to help identify victims after the attack. Computer programs helped ID those who could be found. (Michael Snyder photo) | ZOOM |

        He has had disaster training and is chairman of the Forensic Dental Board of Miami Valley.

        Dr. McDonald was among 10 dentists from around the country who volunteered to go to New York in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

        “That's what we've been trained to do, to work with mass disasters,” Dr. McDonald said.

        But nothing prepared him for the scene in New York.

        He and a dentist from Troy, Ohio, flew to New York early the morning of Sept. 16 and were put to work at the New York medical examiner's office to begin postmortem identification.

        “We worked for about four or five hours, but were so exhausted that we grabbed a bite to eat, then got some rest,” Dr. McDonald said.

        “The next morning, we were given the opportunity, if you can call it an opportunity, to go to ground zero,” Dr. McDonald said.

        He was escorted to the World Trade Center site by New York state troopers and had to go through seven checkpoints before being allowed in. At the site, the wreckage was still smoldering.

        “At that point, the body count was around 6,000. To fathom the idea that there were 6,000 people lying in the rubble was incomprehensible,” Dr. McDonald said.

        Dr. McDonald also visited an on-site morgue that, he said, was later shut down because so few victims were found.

        For purposes of identification, the dentists compared dental records, paying close attention to fillings and crowns.

        They also used X-rays of the teeth and a computerized program to make database comparisons.

        Dentists from around the New York area supplied the records that Dr. McDonald and the other dentists used.

        “Everyone was very cooperative.

        “Some of the dentists that we called asked how they could help, but what was really needed at that time were dentists that were trained in this type of thing,” Dr. McDonald said.

        Dental records were the first method tried to identify people.

        Fingerprints were also used, with DNA as a last resort.

        Dr. McDonald said he and the members of his team entered countless dental records into the database.

        Still, only 366 bodies from the World Trade Center had been positively identified as of Tuesday.

        Dr. McDonald returned home Sept. 23.

        “I think this country has overcome so many challenges, we'll come out on top,” Dr. McDonald said. “There's no doubt in my mind.”

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