FORENSIC ODONTOLOGY

History
• 66 A.D. Nero, the Roman Emperor. 
• Nero's mother Agrippina had her soldiers kill
Lollia Paulina, with instructions to bring back
her head as proof that she was dead.
• Agrippina, unable to positively identify the
head, examined the front teeth and on finding
the discolored front tooth confirmed the
identity of the victim
 History

• The first forensic dentist in the United

States was Paul Revere who was
known for the identification of fallen
revolutionary soldiers
• 1954, Texas burglary scene with bite
mark in cheese (Doyle v. State)
• 1975, California sexual assault with
bites to victim’s nose (People v. Marx)
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.
 Role in Mass Disaster
Management
• Establish hierarchy of leadership
• Procure and implement computer data
base
• Establish ante-mortem team
• Establish post-mortem team
• Determine protocol
 Identification of Human
Remains
• Post-Mortem resection of non-viewable
remains
• Radiography of intact or fragmented jaws
• Charting of post-mortem examination
• Obtaining and charting of ante-mortem
records
• Comparison of data
POSTMORTUM
ANTEMORTUM
POSTMORTUM ANTEMORTUM
• A match?
 Details for Comparison
1. Fillings
2. Extractions
3. Surface structure/root configuration
4. Adjacent teeth
5. Twisted/tilted teeth
Cryogenic grinding to get DNA
 Teeth Impressions
• Can be left in food,
gum and skin
 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
 Why do people bite?
• A sign of perp seeking to degrade the
victim while also achieving complete
domination.

• Can be found on a suspect when a

victim attempts to defend him/herself.
 BITE MARK ANALYSIS

• Scaled photography of bite mark evidence

• Scaled photography of dental casts
• Clinical comparisons
• Computer comparisons
 Teeth Impressions
• Connect suspect to
bite mark: