Forensic  Odontology

Teeth  and  Bite  Mark  Evidence

What  is  a  Forensic  Odontologist?

Most  forensic  odontologists are  __________  dentists.

However,  they  have  gone  through  specialized  training  to  understand  how  to  apply  forensic  science  to  dentistry.

Most  are  members  of  a  professional  organization.

The  Importance  of  Forensic  Odontology

A  forensic  investigation  of  teeth  will  help  to  determine:• -­Individual  ______________• -­Mass  Disaster  Identification• ____  mark  analysis• -­Dental  Malpractice

An  Understanding  of  Teeth• Teeth  begin  to  appear  at  6  months  of  age  and  all  should  have  emerged  by  age  3.

• Humans  have  20  _____________  (baby)  teeth.• Between  the  ages  of  7-­21  years  all  of  the  deciduous  teeth  should  have  been  replaced  with  permanent  teeth.

• Adults  have  ___  permanent  teeth.  This  includes  the  four  wisdom  teeth.

• Teeth  are  the  hardest  substance  in  the  body.

Age  Chart  for  Deciduous  and  Permanent  teeth

Teeth  Numbering  System

• Teeth  are  numbered  from  1  to  32  starting  from  the  _______  right  (1),  to  upper  left  (16),  down  to  lower  left  (17)  to  lower  right  (32).

The  4  types  of  the  Teeth• The  4  types  of  teeth:• Incisors• Canines• Premolars• Molars

The  5  Surfaces  of  the  Teeth• Each  tooth  has  5  surfaces:– M  – ______  (front)– D    -­ distal  (backside)– O    -­ occlusal  (biting  surface)

– F  – facial  (cheek  side)– L -­ ______  (tongue  side)

Tooth  Composition

Identification  using  Teeth

Many  times  identity  of  a  skeleton  can  be  determined  by  comparing  the  teeth  features  in  the  skull  to  dental  records.  Unusual  _________  including  the  number  and  types  of  teeth  and  fillings,  the  spacing  of  the  teeth,  and/or  special  dental  work  (bridges,  false  teeth,  root  canals)  help  to  make  a  positive  identification.

Example  of  a  Dental  Record• Today,  most  people  have  a  dental  record.

• Dental  records  have  information  about  the  condition  of  each  tooth  and  this  information  is  compared  to  the  _____________  report.

Dental  Work  That  Makes  Teeth  Unique

Dental  Crown Dental  Fillings

Dental  Work  That  Makes  Teeth  Unique  (cont)

Dental  Extraction Dental  Bridge

Postmortem  Dental  Information  will  include  any  unique  dental  features

Lifestyle  Effect  on  Teeth  will  also  help  to  identify  the  body

• First,  the  antemortem(before  death)  and  postmortem  (after  death)  X-­rays  are  compared.

• Next,  the  investigator  will  look  for  other  ________  indications  from  the  teeth  (for  example,  smoking).

Example  of  X-­ray  comparison.

Example  of  X-­ray  Comparison

Lifestyles  and  Teeth

• Mouth  of  a  smoker

• Mouth  of  a  Meth  user

Dentures• There  are  cases  where  the  victim  no  longer  had  teeth  and  wore  dentures.

• Records  are  also  kept  for  dentures  so  this  dental  appliance  is  a  very  good  source.

Cases  of  Identification  using  Teeth

• The  ______  case  – Roman  Emperor  Claudius  to  recognize  his  beheaded  mistress.

• First  U.S.  Court  case-­ in  1849  the  incinerated  remains  of  George  Parkman  were  identified  using  a  partial  denture.

• First  case  using  dental  records-­ identified  the  victims  of  the  Vienna  Opera  House  fire  in  1878.  

Cases  of  Identification  using  Teeth

• In  more  recent  times,  teeth  identification  has  been  used  in  mass  disasters  such  as  plane  crashes,  fires  and  bombings.

• Approximately  ____  of  the  victims  from  the  September  11,  2001attack  on  the  World  Trade  Center  were  identified  using  DNA,  jewelry  and  dental  records.

Bite  Mark  Evidence  • Forensic  odontologists will  also  work  on  cases  that  involve  bite  mark  evidence.

• Bite  marks  are  found  when  teeth  are  used  as  _________.  

Bite  Mark  Evidence• Bite  mark  evidence  is  controversial  because  skin  is  elastic  and  distortable.

• The  accuracy  of  this  evidence  is  often  ___________  by  the  court.

• Many  bite  mark  cases  are  overturned.• However,  this  evidence  is  very  helpful  in  ____________  suspects.

• Many  times  the  ________  on  the  bite  mark  allows  DNA  analysis.

Ted  Bundy• The  Ted  Bundy  Case  is  a  very  famous  bite  mark  case.  Bundy  had  a  very  unusual  bite  and  was  _________  on  this  evidence.

Ted  Bundy  and  his  teeth  configuration  that  caused  the  unusual  bite