Forensic odontology refers to the science and practice of dentistry which may be applied to help solve litigation in both criminal and civil cases. It is a specialist branch of dentistry that assists the legal system in the handling, analysis and interpretation of dental evidence.
Forensic Odontology: Principles and Practice pulls together the very latest research findings and advice on best practice and essential skills, including aspects of forensic science that provide a well-rounded educational experience for the reader. Chapters provide coverage of anatomy and morphology, mortuary techniques, physical anthropology, applied forensic sciences, child and elder abuse, and facial approximation. The text introduces the various topics and discusses underpinning philosophies without being an exhaustive historical treatise. Appropriate case studies are used to highlight issues, and references to current research are provided to stimulate further reading and research.
Written by experienced practitioners in the field, this informative introductory text is invaluable to graduate and undergraduate students, as well as experienced dentists, wishing to gain experience or pursue a career in forensic odontology. This text will be a welcome addition to the forensic odontological libraries of all practicing forensic odontologists.
Contents
Contributors xiv
Dedications xvi
Preface xviii
1 Foundation knowledge in forensic odontology 1
Jules A. Kieser, Jane A. Taylor, Zaf Khouri and Maurice Churton
Introduction 1
A short history of forensic odontology 2
Forensic odontology in Australia 5
Forensic odontology in New Zealand 10
Working as an odontologist 19
References 20
2 Jurisprudence and forensic practice 23
David L. Ranson
Legal systems and the healthcare community 23
Types of law 28
The coronial system 32
The investigators within the coroner’s jurisdiction 38
Court procedures and the expert medical witness 41
Long‐term preparation 48
Medium‐term preparation 48
Short‐term preparation 49
Logistics of appearing as a witness 49
Refreshing memory 50
Revision of medical knowledge 51
Medico‐legal analysis 52
Pre‐trial conference 52
Entering the court 53
Conversations outside the court 53
Appearance and behaviour 54
Report writing 57
Reference 63
Recommended reading 63
3 Anatomy and morphology 64
Mark Leedham and Erin F. Hutchinson
Dental anatomy and morphology 64
Morphogenetic fields 65
Additional teeth 66
Hypodontia 70
Shape anomalies 72
Peg lateral incisors 72
General head and neck anatomy 73
Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) 73
Infratemporal fossa 74
Pterygopalatine fossa 74
Mandibular nerve 75
Salivary glands 75
Oral cavity 76
Blood supply and lymphatic drainage of the orodental tissues 77
Osteology of the juvenile and adult craniofacial complex 77
Neurocranium 77
Frontal bone 80
Parietal bone 84
Occipital bone 86
Temporal bone 95
Sphenoid bone 103
Viscerocranium 110
Zygomatic bone 110
Lacrimal bone 113
Ethmoid bone 114
Inferior nasal concha 116
Vomer bone 117
Nasal bone 119
Maxilla 119
Palatine 125
Mandible 126
References 130
4 Forensic pathology 134
David L. Ranson and Norman Firth
The role of the forensic pathologist 134
The medico‐legal autopsy 135
Post‐mortem changes in the deceased 139
Decomposition 140
Radiological examination 140
External examination 141
Head 142
Trunk 143
Limbs 143
Internal examination 144
The face, head and neck 145
The thorax 151
The abdomen and pelvis 153
The genitalia 154
The limbs 154
Post‐autopsy procedures 154
Injuries 155
Classification of injuries 156
Injury interpretation 164
Injury and cause of death 165
References 166
Recommended reading 166
5 Human identification 167
Stephen Knott
Human identification 167
We have the right to our name when we die 167
Methods of identification 168
Human dentition 169
Teeth: the last tissue to disintegrate 169
Role of the primary identifiers 171
Visual 171
Fingerprints 171
DNA 172
Medical and anthropological 173
Ante‐mortem dental data 173
Dental records or dental data? 174
Dental prostheses 175
Oral implants 176
Orthodontics 176
Radiographic images: facial sinuses and anatomical features within the bone 176
Superimposition 178
Facial reconstruction 179
Standards for acceptance of identification 181
References 183
6 Mortuary techniques 185
Alain G. Middleton
The dental post‐mortem 185
What is the purpose of the dental post‐mortem? 185
Components of a dental post‐mortem 186
Location 186
Facilities 186
Equipment – basic requirements 186
Ventilation 186
Lighting 187
Examination table 187
Oral health and safety – personal protection 187
Head hair 187
Face 187
Hands 188
Body covering 188
Footwear 188
‘Tools of the trade’ 188
Photography 189
Capture device (camera and lens/es) and media 189
Producing and processing images 189
Organising images 190
Using images 190
Backup 190
Archiving 190
Depth of field 191
Fragments and single teeth 191
Radiographic equipment 192
CT scanning equipment 192
Teeth for DNA analysis 192
The ‘what and how’ 193
Organisation 193
Permissions 193
Examination and recording of the findings 195
The investigative examination 196
The identification examination 196
Detail 196
Written observations and charting 197
Recording of the findings 197
Stress 197
Legibility 197
Language 197
Errors 198
Abbreviations 198
Transcription 198
Charting 198
Clinical notes 198
Radiographic 199
Tissue thicknesses 199
Fragments and single teeth 199
Radiation safety 199
Photographic 199
Impressions 200
Age estimation 200
Condition of the remains 200
Complete body or a partial set of remains? 200
Incomplete and/or fragmented? 201
Are all the teeth and bone sections present? 201
Skeletal remains 201
Incinerated remains 201
Decomposed remains 202
Mummification 203
Immersion 203
Procedure – putting it all together 203
Initial examination 203
Photographic and radiographic examination 204
Access and reflection 204
Intact skulls and mandible 204
Fragmented skulls and mandible 205
Reflection technique 205
Floor of the mouth and tongue 205
Access the maxilla and the oral cavity 206
Resection 206
Bite mark and other pattern recording 206
Reporting recording of results 207
Reports 207
Summary 208
Reference 208
7 Age assessment 209
Richard Bassed, Jeremy Graham and Jane A. Taylor
Introduction 209
Some history of age assessment 211
A brief review of dental development 212
Developments in dental‐age assessment 214
Current age‐estimation methods 215
Australasian specific research in dental age estimation 217
Concluding remarks 221
References 224
8 Bite marks 228
Alex Forrest and Alistair Soon
Introduction 228
Describing bite marks 229
Bite marks are physical evidence 229
Class characteristics 230
Individual characteristics 230
Anatomical locations of bite marks 231
Types of bite marks 231
Not everything is a bite mark 234
Conclusions based on the description of the injury 234
The process of biting and how it relates to bite marks 235
The individuality of the dentition and its transfer to the bite mark 236
The individuality of the human dentition 236
Accuracy of transfer of dental features to bitten tissues 237
Imaging in bite mark cases 238
Avoiding distortions due to perspective 239
Avoiding distortions due to parallax 241
Photographic lighting 241
File format for image files 245
Using alternative light sources 245
Imaging the dental casts for comparison 245
A note on the use of the ABFO No 2 bite mark scale 248
Undertaking the case 249
Case selection 250
The clinical appointments 250
Bite mark analysis 257
Bite mark comparison 266
Presenting bite mark evidence in court 273
Sources of potential distortion and error in bite mark cases 275
Distortions due to tissue properties and movement of a bitten body part 275
Distortions due to evidence collection 276
Distortions due to poor imaging 276
Potentially controllable variables 277
Potentially uncontrollable variables 277
Limitations of bite mark analysis and reporting the outcomes of bite mark comparisons 277
Can we determine the age of the biter from the injury arch dimensions? 279
Can we visually age bite marks? 280
Swabbing for DNA 280
Materials required 281
Method 281
Conclusion 281
Future directions 282
References 283
9 Forensic odontology in disaster victim identification 286
Hugh G. Trengrove
Disasters and disaster planning 286
Disaster victim identification 287
DVI planning and organisation 288
DVI and forensic odontology 290
Forensic odontology DVI planning 291
DVI operations 296
DVI documentation 297
Health and safety during DVI operations 297
DVI phase 1: the Scene phase 298
The role of the forensic odontologist at the scene 299
Human remains at the scene 299
Recovery of remains 301
DVI phase 2: the Post‐mortem phase 310
Mortuary 311
Post‐mortem process 311
Personal property and effects documentation 314
Skin friction ridge analysis 314
Forensic pathology examination 314
Post‐mortem radiography 315
Post‐mortem DNA 316
Anthropology 316
Post‐mortem odontology examination 316
Radiology and photography 318
Teeth for DNA 319
Age assessment 320
Odontology quality review 320
Staffing in the mortuary 321
Equipment and PPE in the mortuary 321
DVI phase 3: the Ante‐mortem phase 323
Missing persons database (list) 323
Ante‐mortem data collection 323
Ante‐mortem skin friction ridge records 324
Ante‐mortem DNA 324
Ante‐mortem dental records 325
Ante‐mortem equipment 327
DVI phase 4: the Reconciliation phase 327
Skin friction ridge comparison (reconciliation) 328
DNA reconciliation 328
Odontology reconciliation 328
Detailed reconciliation 330
Formalisation of identification 331
DVI phase 5: the Debrief 331
Administrative arrangements and information management 332
DVI and the people 333
Forensic odontology team organisation 333
Responsibilities 333
References 335
10 Forensic anthropology 336
Denise Donlon, Russell Lain and Jane A. Taylor
The scope of forensic anthropology 336
Assessment of ancestry 336
Importance of assessment of ancestry 337
Approaches 337
Tooth size and non‐metric traits 338
Assessment of sex 339
Approaches 339
Sexual dimorphism in the dentition 342
Sexual dimorphism in juveniles 342
Assessment of age 343
Methods of ageing juvenile and young adults (<30 years) 343
Ageing of middle‐aged to older adults (>30 years) 343
Comparative anatomy 344
Historical remains 347
Conclusion 351
References 351
11 Applied forensic sciences 355
David C. Kieser, Terry Lyn Eberhardt, Gemma Dickson and J. Neil Waddell
Introduction 355
Crime scene protocols 356
Forensic entomology 358
Forensic microbial aquatic taphonomy 363
The use of energy‐dispersive spectroscopy in forensic investigations 369
References 375
12 Odontology opinions 377
Denice Higgins and Helen James
Introduction 377
General principles 377
Types of opinions 379
Identification of dental structures 379
Injuries sustained to the teeth or other oral structures 383
Injuries caused by teeth 386
Child abuse 390
Anatomical/morphometric comparisons 391
Age estimation 393
Tooth selection and sampling for DNA 394
Oral pathology 396
Dental malpractice 396
Report writing 399
References 400
13 Forensic odontology management 402
Helen James and Denice Higgins
Introduction 402
Administration 402
Education 414
Research 415
Conclusion 416
References 417
14 Application of post‐mortem computed tomography to forensic odontology 419
Richard Bassed and Eleanor Bott
Introduction 419
Computed tomography and medico‐legal death investigation 421
Application of PMCT to odontology 423
Computed tomography and Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) 428
Triage of multiple deceased in DVI 429
CT and dental identification in DVI 433
Logistics and infrastructure 434
Conclusion 435
References 435
Index 438
