chpt 19- forensic dentistry Flashcards
area of dentistry concerned with correct management, examination, evaluation and presentation of dental evidence in criminal or civil legal proceedings in the interest of justice
Forensic dentistry/odontology
5 areas of forensic dentistry
records management Identification of deceased Bite pattern evidence Abuse Expert witness
Who must keep accurate dental records to include doctor’s progress notes, study casts, photographs, and radiographs
all dentists
comparison of a known object to an unknown object
dental identification
6 reasons identification is necessary
criminal Marriage Money Burial Social Closure
5 methods of identification
personal recognition Fingerprints Dental exam Anthropologic exam of bones DNA
easiest but least reliable method of identification
personal recognition
unique indentification pattern that does not change throughout life as teeth and supporting structures do, but can be destroyed or compromised in death and decomposition
fingerprints
last things to be totally destroyed in decomposition
calcified structures (bones & teeth)
What can be used to with respect to teethdetermine age of a child patient in anthropologic exam
tooth calcification and eruption charts
What can be used with respect to teeth to approximate the age of an adult patient in anthropologic exam
tooth attrition, secondary dentin (pulp will be smaller), cementum apposition
Problems with DNA analysis for identification
slow, expensive, must have something to compare it with
Positives of dental identification
dental evidence remains long time postmortem, each tooth has 5 sides for multiple comparisons, dental materials hold up under heat and may have identifying marks
problems with dental identification
poor record keeping
Different tooth numbering systems
2 worst cases for dental identification
fully edentulous or full permanent dentition with no restorations
Where is missing persons data loaded
FBI National Crime Information Center (NCIC)
Post mortemcharting begins with what
soft tissue removal for access
If have a mandible with sockets that are open, when was tooth loss suspected
post-mortem
oral-facial means of identification
teeth Bone (tori, anomalies) Foreign bodies Sinus configuration Skull sutures Soft tissue (rugae and lip prints) Photographic comparison DNA (from pulp)
4 final reports from attempts to identify
positive
Presumptive
Exclusion
Insufficient
ante mortem and post mortem data match is sufficient detail, with no unexplainable discreapancies, to establish that they arefrom the same individual
Positive identification
ante mortem and post mortem data have consistent features but, because of the quality of either the post mortem remains or the ante mortem evidence, it is not possible to establish identity positively
presumptive/ possible identification
ante mortem and post mortem data are clearly inconsistent
exclusion
available information is insufficient to form the basis for a conclusion
Insufficient
Are there a minimum number of points of comparison required for a positive identification
No, uniqueness of one or two teeth may be sufficient
3 types of Mass Disasters
Natural
Accidental
Criminal
Problems in Mass Disaster identification
comingling of bodies, absent records, stress
leave rectangular bite mark
incisors
Leave triangular bite pattern
cuspids
leave a figure eight bite pattern
bicuspids
If bite injury has PMNs how old is it
<36 hours
If bite injury has hemosiderin how old is it
> 72 hours
If bite injury clinical color is red-purple, how old is it
2-4 hours
If bite injury clinical color is green-blue, how old is it
3-5 days
If bite injury clinical color is tan-yellow, how old is it
10-14 days
do dentists have responsibility to identify and report cases of abuse
Yes
Evidence of abuse
Lip/frenum laceration
Repeated tooth fractures or avulsions
Zygomatic arch and nasal fractures
Bilateral contusions of lip commissures from a gag
