REPORTforensicodontology

Forensic
Odontology
Forensic Odontology
Forensic Odontology is the application of
dentistry in legal proceedings deriving
from ANY evidence that pertains to teeth.
Functions of Forensic
Odontology
• Id unknown human remains through dental records.
• Assist at the scene of a mass disaster.
• Age estimations of both living and deceased persons.
• Analysis of bite marks found on victims of attack.
• ID of bite marks in other substances e.g. wood, duct
tape, pencils, leather and foodstuffs.
• Analysis of weapon marks using the principles of bite
mark analysis.
• Presentation of bite and weapon mark evidence in court.
• Building a picture of lifestyle and diet at an
archaeological site.
Why Teeth?
 Every human body ages in a similar manner, the teeth also

follow a semi-standardized pattern. These quantitative
measurements help establish relative age of person.
 Each human has an individual set of teeth which can be
traced back to established dental records to find missing
individuals.
 Teeth is made of enamel (hardest tissue of the body) so it can
withstand trauma (decomposition, heat degradation, water
immersion, and desiccation) better than other tissues in body.
 Teeth are a source of DNA: dental pulp or a crushed tooth can
provide nuclear or mitochondrial DNA that to help identify a
person.
How can teeth help
investigators?
• Identify a suspect by comparing
bite mark evidence to the
suspect’s teeth.
• Identify a victim by comparing
the teeth to the dental records
of known missing people.
Who practices Forensic Odontology and what do they do?
Forensic
Odontologists
 Must have DDS degree
 Should have specialized
training in the field through
lectures (not required)
Forensic dentists help:
 Identify human remains
(individual and mass)
Top: Forensic Odontologist
 Analyze bite marks
analyzing animal teeth for  Bite marks are compared to
comparison.
known teeth molds to find
Side: Seal for American Board of origin of bite injuries
Forensic Odontology.  Estimate age of the victim and
perpetrator
 Trace dental malpractice
Odontologists
• 4 events in which an odontologist
would be called:
o Individual identification
o Mass disaster identification
o Bite mark analysis
o Dental malpractice
History of Forensic
Odontology
• 66AD – First body identified using
teeth
o Lollia Paulina
• Revolutionary War
o Paul Revere was the first forensic dentist in the United
States because he identified fallen revolutionary
soldiers.
• 1849 – Mass deaths at Vienna Opera
House Fire
o Dental evidence is first admitted into court system in
US
Organizations of Forensic
Odontology
• Bureau of Legal Dentistry (BOLD)
• American Board of Forensic

Odontology (ABFO)
• International Organization for

Forensic Odonto-Stomatology
(IOFOS)
Hardest part of body attached TO jaws. IT serves to
help digest food, act as a defense mechanism, etc.
teeth are made of a crown with enamel surrounding
a pulp.
Teeth
Teeth Basics
• Approximately 32 teeth in
adult mouth
• Four types of teeth:
o Molars
o Premolars
o Canine
o Incisors
• Teeth differ in:
o Size
o Shape
o Root type Types of teeth.
Left to right: Incisor, Canine, Premolar,
molar.
Dental Work That Makes Teeth Unique
Dental Crown Dental Fillings

Dental Work That Makes Teeth Unique
Dental Dental Bridge

Extraction
Teeth through the years
Childhood Adulthood
•  Permanent adult teeth come in when

Primary teeth sprout from milk buds primary teeth fall out; they are permanent
and are temporary. Once they fall because they establish roots inside the
out, permanent teeth as seen on the gums. Third molar come in around the mid
teenage years.
other side appear.
Standard Teeth Development for Age
Determination
Individual Characteristics
Size of tooth
Shape of tooth
Shape of root
Placement of tooth
Quantity of teeth
Combinations of
dental work done:
 Crowns
 Extractions
 Bridge
 Fillings
 Root canals
Various dental work

Analyzing Teeth
• The Universal System
1. Teeth are given a specific
number. (Primary teeth are
given specific capital letter)
2. Any dental work done on
surface is noted
3. Sheets kept on dental file
forever. When person is
missing, files are transferred
to the missing person’s office
Identification
Individual Identification Mass Identification
 Postmortem Same process
description is is used as
generated individual
 X rays and
radiographs identification
 Positive Organization
identification is crucial
is compared to Family is
ante-mortem asked to come
data
 Negative identify the
body, and
identification,
a biological narrow down
profile is the pool of
generated victims.
Individual/Mass
Identification
Identifying
factors:
Cavaties
Tooth pattern
General dental
health neglect
Comparisons
Odontologists compare antemortem
(before death) records with
postmortem (after death) findings
to determine if there is a positive
match
Example of X-ray
Comparison
Various Teeth Found
Bite Marks
Impressions from teeth found on skin or items left at a scene. Usually
outline teeth placement.
Bite Marks
• Saliva or blood can be left behind that can be tested for
DNA
• Dental records including X-Rays can also provide useful
information
Various Bite Marks
Degree of Bite
hemorrhage -- small bleeding spot
abrasion -- undamaging mark on skin
contusion -- ruptured blood vessel, bruise
(*most common)
laceration -- punctured or torn skin
incision -- neat puncture of skin
avulsion -- removal of skin
artifact -- bitten-off piece of body
Where are bite marks
found?
Impressions left on food,
skin or other items left at
a scene.
 Porous surfaces that absorb the
impact enough to make an
impression
 Impressions vary
 Depending on the pressure
applied, the impression will show
accordingly. The more pressure
there is, the more detail to the
bite.
Analyzing bite marks
Bite marks are
photographed with a
scale
 Bite marks on skin are taken over
repeated intervals
Casts of impression are
taken
Impression traced onto
transparencies
Casts of suspects teeth
are taken
Comparison between
suspect cast and bite
mark
Features to Analyze
• Type of bite mark (human or animal)
• Characteristics of the teeth
o Position, evidence of dental work, and wear patterns
• Color of area to estimate how long

ago the bite occurred (old or recent)
• Swab for body fluids for DNA tests
Bite Marks
• Bite marks are found on both
victims and suspects
• Types of cases bite marks are
most prevalent:
o Sexual assaults
o Battered or abused children
Sites of Bite Marks
• Females
o Breasts and legs
o Due to sexual assault
• Males
o Arms and shoulders
o Due to fights
Bite Marks
• Other factors that can affect the
way a bite mark looks:
o The movement of the biters jaw and tongue
when he or she bites
o The location of the bite
o Whether or not the biting victim was moving
when he or she was bit
o Number of teeth contacting skin
Limitations to Bite Marks
• Over time, teeth may change
o Lost teeth
o Caps
o Bridges
o Also due to health, activity and dental
treatment
Limitations to Bite Marks
• Bite marks change their shape
and size depending upon the
amount of time that has elapsed
and the nature of the material
bearing the impression
• Skin is elastic and distortable
o Should photograph bite mark over time
State of Florida v. Ted
Bundy
Ted Bundy, was an
American serial killer
who murdered numerous
young women between
1974 and 1978.
He confessed to 30
murders, however the
total amount of victims
remains unknown. He
would bludgeon his
victims, then strangle
them to death. He
engaged in rape and
necrophilia.
Evidence, various pictures
from trial
Case Study – The Dingo Baby
Lindy and Michael Chamberlain were
enjoying a family vacation camping
near the famous Australian landmark
of Ayer’s Rock
On the night of August 17, 1980, Lindy
cried out from the tend that a dingo
(a wild Australian dog) had taken her
baby Azaria from her bed
The disappearance was investigated
and Lindy convicted of the murder of
Azaria, whose body was never found.
There were many doubts about the
evidence that those representing the
Chamberlains pursued through many
years of trial and retrial, and finally a
high-level judicial inquiry
Part of the evidence at the trial was
forensic odontology.
Damage to various items of the child’s
bedding was examined, and the
odontologist concluded that the
marks were made by scissors and
could not have been made by the
teeth of a dog
However, the judicial inquiry heard
that the action of canine incisors
could well have caused the damage
and confident assertions of the
odontologist at trial was not
dependable
The bite mark evidence was declared
unreliable and the conviction
overturned
Computer Odontology
 Automatic dental code matching
 Bites are run through the computer to find a
match
 OdontoSearch
 Compare a data base of missing peoples,
felons, government workers
 Automatic dental identification
system
 A few minutes will produce a list of people
who have the same dental code number
 3D Bite mark analysis
 3D scans of dental casts are
used to generate overlays using
various pressure and deviation.
 The overlays are compared with
the photograph of the bite
marks.
•www.redhookcentralschool.org
•Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
•www.ardsleyschools.org
•www.westada.org
•Images.pcmac.org
•Hs.pequannock.org
References

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Forensic

 Every human body ages in a similar manner, the teeth also

• American Board of Forensic

• International Organization for

Dental Crown Dental Fillings

Dental Dental Bridge

•  Permanent adult teeth come in when

Various dental work

• Color of area to estimate how long

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