"I'm always amazed to hear of air crash victims so badly mutilated that they have to be identified by their dental records. What I can't understand is, if they don't know who you are, how do they know who your dentist is?"

This quote by Paul Merton is a humorous take on the catastrophe of air crash victims being so terribly mutilated that they need to be recognized by their dental records. It highlights the absurdity of the circumstance, as it is impossible to recognize someone if they are unrecognizable, yet in some way their dental expert has the ability to determine them. This quote is a tip of the tragedy of air crashes and the destructive impacts they can have on the victims and their families. It likewise functions as a tip of the significance of dental records in recognizing victims of air crashes, as they can be the only way to identify them. The quote also acts as a pointer of the significance of having current oral records, as they can be the only method to recognize somebody in case of a disaster.