Dental Forensics

By Evelyn, Jacqueline, Tatiana, and Genesis

Early Usage of Dental Forensics

The first recorded use of dental forensic evidence in a criminal case was in Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Webster in 1850. Methods of using teeth to identify people have been around since 66 A.D. when Neros mother used a discolored tooth to make sure that a head belonged to a certain victim.

Early Usage of Dental Forensic

An

early case involving Forensic Odontology would be State of Florida vs. Ted Bundy, where a notorious criminal was found guilty of murdering a group of girls after leaving a bite mark (the only evidence) on his victims body Forensic Odontology continues to be used today. Dental forensics has been used in the New York City World Trade Center bombing, airplane crashes, natural disasters and bombings.

What are Dental Forensics?

It

can be used to identify the person or people who left the bite mark at the crime scene. For that to be done dental records such as radiographs, DNA and ante mortem and post mortem photographs are needed. And it can also establish the identity of a homicide victim.

What is Forensic Odontology? (cont.)

It

involves finding the age of the person, identifying the person including their gender and race, and if there are any signs of violence. Bite mark evidence often occurs in sexrelated crimes, child abuse, and assaults.

Teeth will tell

It

is possible to get an age estimate based on teeth. There is a clear difference between the dental structure of an adult and child due to the size of the milk teeth and presence of wisdom. Also, it is possible to distinguish ethnicity through traits present on the teeth.

For example, some Asians and Native Americans have incisors with scooped-out backs.

How is Forensic Odontology Applied?

The

color, size, appearance, location of the bite mark and the number of times the victim was bitten is recorded. Photos and samples of the bite marks are taken. A dental mold is made and a profile of the criminal is drawn. If a suspect has already been arrested, their dental records are taken and are compared to the bite marks for confirmation.

Records

The bite marks are compared to dentist records and x-rays to identify the victim or criminal. Even if there are teeth missing, it is still possible to make an identification.

It

is more common to visit a dentist than being fingerprinted. As a result, dental records makes a better identifier than fingerprints. Its drawback is when the information is out of date.

Steps of Analyzing
Identify

if the bite is human Swab for DNA (saliva) Determine if self-inflicted Measurements and photographs Use of rulers and scales to record depth and size Record every detail about size, appearance, color, and location of the bite on the body, as well as the presence of other bites. May cut out bite from skin to preserve if the victim is deceased.

Analysis
The

analysis of bite-mark is very complex. The movement of the biter and the victim affects the type of mark left. Bite-marks change significantly over time due to age and lifestyle factors. Analysis take measurements, records, and photographs because of the changing nature.

Difference between young and older teeth

Young

people have sharper teeth. As a person ages, their teeth are continually worn down and no longer sharp. Instead, they are rounded and smooth because of advanced age. The presence of milk or wisdom teeth also helps differentiate age.

Crime Scene Suspects

Suspect 1: Kenia Flores

Normal

sized mouth No mark of central incisor, lateral incisor and cupid. Right 3rd molar stands out Aligned teeth

Suspect 2: Millie D. Pittman

Extremely

small mouth Slight over bite Right cupids, 1st bicuspid & 2nd bicuspid stand out in bite mark Slight over bite

Suspect 3: Juliana Ceballos

Incisors are clearly marked Central incisors slightly over lap bottom incisors. Small sized mouth Well aligned teeth.

Suspect 4: Roger Ortiz

Wide

mouth Central incisor and bottom incisors stand out. No mark of left 1st,2nd and 3rd molars Also no mark of left molars bicuspids and cuspids.

Suspect 5: Anthony Solano

Small

mouth Strongest imprint is central incisors and bottom incisors. Strong imprint of 1st bicuspid. Straight and aligned teeth.

Suspect 6: Beatriz Carvalho

Normal

sized mouth Perfectly aligned teeth Strong imprint on all teeth Right bicuspids less strongly marked then rest of teeth.

Crime Scene Bite Mark

Small

bite Well aligned teeth Central incisors strongly marked Slight over bite

The criminal
Our

best match to the actual crime scene bite mark is JULIANA CEBALLOS. Like the crime scene bite mark, Julianas central incisors left a very noticeable mark on the carbon paper. Both bites are small and have well aligned teeth as well.

 Bite

marks may be used to help solve crimes by using the criminals bite to match a bite left at the crime scene through similarities of the teeth in the bites. Young people have sharper teeth than old people because old people have worn down their teeth over longer time. Julianas bite mark matched the one from the crime scene. The teeth that left impressions in the crime scene bite mark are the top left lateral incisor and bottom right incisors.

Sources

Library.thinkquest.org. Dental Matching http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/00206/pti_dental_matching.htm Freeman, Shanna. How Forensic Dentistry Works http://science.howstuffworks.com/forensic-dentistry.htm Giordano, John. Forensic Dentistry Explained http://forensicdentistryresourcecenter.com/forensic_dentistry.htm ADA: American Dental Association. Forensics in Dentistry http://www.ada.org/3021.aspx?currentTab=1 Ramsland, Katherine. Bite Marks as Evidence to Convit http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/forensics/bitema rks/6.html http://www.biology-online.org/articles/forensic-odontology/historybehind-forensic-odontology.html http://science.howstuffworks.com/forensic-dentistry.htm