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)
 Analyze bite marks
 Bite marks are compared to known
teeth molds to find origin of bite
Top: Forensic Odontologist
analyzing animal teeth for
injuries
comparison.  Estimate age of the victim and
perpetrator
Side: Seal for American Board of
Forensic Odontology.  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 fall

Primary teeth sprout from milk buds and are out; they are permanent because they establish roots
temporary. Once they fall out, permanent inside the gums. Third molar come in around the mid
teeth as seen on the other side appear. teenage years.
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 is
description is used as individual
generated identification
 X rays and
radiographs Organization is
 Positive crucial
identification is Family is asked to
compared to ante- come identify the
mortem data body, and narrow
 Negative down the pool of
identification, a victims.
biological profile
is generated
 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
Case Study – The Dingo Baby
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
Case Study – The Dingo Baby
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
Case Study – The Dingo Baby
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