Forensic Odontology

Recent Advances in
FORENSIC ODONTOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
FDI Defined it as “that branch of

forensic medicine which in the interest
of justice, deals with the proper
Forensic... Derived from Forum (latin)
handling and examination of dental
and Odontology...
evidence and also with
proper evaluation and presentation of
dental findings.”
Renuga, S & S, Sahana & yadav, satish & Khatoon, Hajira & Kulkarni, Meghashyama & Chakrabarty,
Abhisikta. (2023). Current Advances in Forensic Dentistry-A Review Article.
Historical Evidence
 66AD
First body identified using teeth... Lollia Paulina
Dental evidence played a vital role
in historical case of
identification of Adolf Hitler.
Dr. Hugo Johannes Blaschke

who was Hitler's dentist
Recently in Nirbhaya case
suspects were confirmed, by
Dr. Ashith Acharya using bite
marks.
The decision on juvenility of Mohammed
Ajmal Kasab was also identified on the
basis of available dental records.
Skulls in Annigeri, Dharwad
The mystery of 610 human skulls that were found a couple
of years ago near Annigeri town in Navalgund taluk,
Dharwad district, has been solved. According to the experts
they belong to victims of a famine that had hit the region in
1790.
Why teeth in
forensic???
 Each human has an individual
set of teeth.
 Teeth are made of enamel

which can withstand trauma
better than other tissues in the
body.
 Teeth are the source of DNA-

dental pulp.
Applications
 Legal • Humanitarian
 Charging the suspect
 Sports
• Proper burial/cremation

according to relevant religious &
Will probation
cultural customs
 Insurance benefits
 Remarriage sanction
 Settlement of property-related issues
 Retirement age
Forensic odontologists delve into:
 Identifying unknown human remains.

 DVI in mass disaster.
 Eliciting the picture of life style and diet of skeletal remains.
 Assessing sex of skeletal remains.
 Age estimation of both living and deceased.
 Analysis and identification of bite marks at crime scenes.
PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION
 Identification is the establishment of a person’s individuality.

 Required for legal and humanitarian reasons.
TRADITIONAL METHODS included:

 Visually recognizing body.
 Personal property such as clothing, jewellery, etc.
BASIS FOR DENTAL IDENTIFICATION
The morphology and Teeth are relatively

Human dentition is
arrangement of teeth resistant to
never same in any
vary from person to environmental insults
two individuals.
person. after death.
DENTAL IDENTIFCATION
Reconstructive Others
Comparative
Dental ID/ Dental Bite mark analysis
Dental ID Profiling Disaster victim
Ante-Mortem data identification (DVI)
Population
Post-mortem data identification Identification from dental
DNA
Compare AM & PM
Age estimation Palatal Rugoscopy
Sex assessment Chieloscopy/lip prints
COMPARATIVE IDENTIFICATION
Dental Records
Dental records include
DENTAL
PROFILING
Establishing the identity
of a person using teeth
Age
Dental
Profiling Gender
Ethnicity
Reconstructive Dental ID
 Population Identification
 Diverse human species

 Races; Caucasoid, Mangoloid and Negroid
 Indentify an individual’s ethnic origin based on one’s dentition
 Non- metric dental traits (Shovelling, Carabelli’s feature

 Cusp 5, Cusp 6, cusp 7 winging, parastyle, protostyle etc)
Shovelling; North east Asians, native Americans ASUDAS Dental Plaques
Carabelli’s feature, 3-cusped upper second molars ; Eurasians ( Anglo-Indians) north east Asians
Protostylid
Cusp 6 & 7
Parastyle
Age estimation In children & Adolescents
Demirjian’s method
Indian Formulas for Age Estimation (developed on a sample of 165 males and 296 females aged 7 to 25 years):
1. For males, Age = 27.4351 – (0.0097  S2) + (0.000089  S3)
2. For females, Age = 23.7288 – (0.0088  S2) + (0.000085  S3)
Age estimation In Adults
Gustafson’s Method
1. Amount of occlusal Attrition (A)

2. Coronal secondary dentin deposition (S)
3. Loss of periodontal attachment (P)
4. Cementum apposition at the root apex
root resorption (C)
5. Dentin translucency (T)
Dentin translucency
Pulp to tooth ratio

Reconstructive Dental ID
 Sex Assessment
 Morphology of skull and mandible
 Metric features
 DNA analyses of teeth
Sex differences in tooth size
 Canine; most sexually dimorphic tooth

 Canine Index
 Measurement of MD and BL dimensions
Analysis of rugae pattern
 • Thomas and Van Wyk traced rugae patterns from dentures on to clear acetate and then superimposed
these tracings on photographs of plaster models.
 • Limson and Julian analyzed rugae pattern by a computer software and obtained 97% accuracy.
 • Ohtani and coworkers suggests - high accuracy can be obtained using straight forward visual
comparison from dentures.
Patterns of palatal rugae:
 (a) curved
 (b) wavy
 (c) straight
 (d) undetermined
Gender Determination by DNA Analysis
 It gives highly accurate results.
 Gender can be determined with very minute quantities of DNA and
from very old specimens of teeth.
 Amelogenin (AMEL), matrix proteins secreted by the ameloblasts
of the enamel. The AMEL gene, coding for this protein is located on
the X and Y chromosomes in humans.
 Thus the females (XX) have two identical AMEL genes
 Male (XY) have two non-identical genes.
Bite mark Analysis
 Marks caused by the teeth either alone or in combination with other body
parts( MacDonald)
 Human/Animal
 Photographs
 Impressions
Metric analysis
Vernier Calipers Computer digitization method
Conclusion: Positive/ Possible/ Excludes Identification
Cheiloscopy
 Cheiloscopy is a forensic investigation technique that deals with

identification of humans based on lips traces.
 Lip prints have to be obtained within 24 hours of time of death to
prevent erroneous data that would result from post mortem alterations
of lip.
 Pattern depends on whether mouth is opened or closed.
 Closed mouth position - well defined grooves
 Open position - ill defined and difficult to interpret
• Lip prints are usually left at crime scenes and can provide a direct
link to the suspect
• Traditionally, the use of lipsticks was essential to leave behind color
traces of lip prints.
• In recent years, however, lipsticks have been developed that do not
leave any visible trace after contact with surfaces such as glass,
clothing, or cigarette butts.
 Software used for lip print analysis :

 IBM SPSS software
 ADOBE PHOTOSHOP software
In recent years, forensic odontology has witnessed
significant advancements in technology, research,
Overview of and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Recent
Advances: Adoption of digital imaging and 3D scanning
techniques for bite mark analysis and dental
identification.
Development of novel age estimation methods

using dental radiographs, biomarkers, and
biochemical analysis.
• Application of DNA analysis techniques to extract DNA from dental tissues
and integrate dental DNA evidence with traditional forensic methods.
• Utilization of virtual autopsy techniques, including virtual reality and
augmented reality, for the reconstruction and analysis of dental structures
and injuries.
• Establishment of centralized databases for bite mark analysis and
standardization of protocols for data collection and analysis.
Virtual Autopsy
• Utilization of virtual reality and augmented reality

• Reconstruction of dental structures and injuries
• Collaboration with forensic anthropologists and radiologists
Conclusion
• These recent advances have enhanced forensic odontology's accuracy,
efficiency, and reliability in criminal investigations, disaster victim
identification efforts, and other legal proceedings.
• Continued research and innovation in the field are expected to further
improve forensic odontology practices and contribute to advancements
in forensic science as a whole.
THANK YOU!!

Forensic Odontology

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Forensic Odontology

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Forensic Odontology

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Recent Advances in

FDI Defined it as “that branch of

Dr. Hugo Johannes Blaschke

 Teeth are made of enamel

 Teeth are the source of DNA-

 Identifying unknown human remains.

 Identification is the establishment of a person’s individuality.

TRADITIONAL METHODS included:

The morphology and Teeth are relatively

 Diverse human species

 Indentify an individual’s ethnic origin based on one’s dentition

 Non- metric dental traits (Shovelling, Carabelli’s feature

1. Amount of occlusal Attrition (A)

Pulp to tooth ratio

 Canine; most sexually dimorphic tooth

 Cheiloscopy is a forensic investigation technique that deals with

 Software used for lip print analysis :

Development of novel age estimation methods

• Utilization of virtual reality and augmented reality

You might also like