Exam Study Guide Flashcards
What is forensic odontology?
Scientific application of dental knowledge to criminal and civil law
How is forensic odontology practiced generally?
Must have knowledge surrounding clinical dentistry and be able to apply that knowledge in a forensic context?
What are the unique features of teeth that may help in identification?
Individual tooth morphology
Variations in shape and size of the teeth
Restorations
Pathologies
Missing teeth
Wear patterns
Color and position of the teeth
Growth and development of the teeth in juveniles
In adults:
Dental wear
Periodontal condition
Dental coloration
Secondary dentine apposition
Root resorption
Root transparency
How many teeth are present in human dentition?
32 in adults
20 deciduous (in youngsters since they are missing three adult molars on each side)
How many forensic odontologists are currently practicing?
Nowadays: 81 active Board-Certified Forensic Odontologists in US and Canada
What can forensic odontology be used for?
Dental identification
Disaster Victim Identification
Dental Age Estimation
Human Abuse
Bitemark Analysis
Civil Litigation
Identification
Biological profile
Post-mortem interval
Bitemark analysis
Orthodontics
What is the process of becoming a forensic odontologist?
Standards and protocols
Experience (hands-on and often by shadowing a professional forensic odontologist)
Masters degree in Forensic Odontology
Degree in Odontology
Board certification
Expertise:
Dentistry background
Head/neck anatomy
Radiographic anatomy
Oral pathology
Dental restorative procedures
What are a few reasons why forensic odontology is important?
Forensic odontologists can estimate sex, age, and ancestry and provide a general description of the unidentified person during life
It is a fast and reliable way of identifying individuals in cases of severe decomposition, burned remains, or disaster victim identification (where time is of the essence)
The body’s hardest tissue is tooth enamel and teeth are specific to every individual, so it makes odontology a key aspect of the identification process
What is the definition of Forensic Anthropology?
Branch of Physical Anthropology which, for forensic purposes, deals with the identification of skeletal remains
What are the subfields of forensic anthropology? (OAT)
Forensic osteology
Forensic archaeology
Forensic taphonomy
*Outdoor crime scene reconstruction
Forensic osteology
Analysis of skeletal remains
Produce inventory of bones
Assess biological profile (chronological age, sex, stature, ancestry)
Personal identification
Notation and interpretation of skeletal trauma
Forensic archaeology
Archaeological excavation methods, principles, and practices useful to establish context (where and when things happened), association (linking evidence to other evidence and the scene and time frame), and chain of custody
** Locate and document the evidence (provenience, spatial distribution) properly
Forensic taphonomy
History of body and scene (not just the body) from time of deposition/death event, to time of analysis (1997)
Time since death (PMI)
Reconstruct the circumstances before, during, and after deposition
Discriminate the products of human behavior from those created by the earth’s biological, physical, chemical, and geological subsystems
NOW: refocus on reconstruction of past events at the scene
Requires scene AND laboratory information
And understanding of the effects of myriad forensic taphonomic agents on our evidence
** Used to understand the history of body and site from time of deposition to time of recovery (all potential agents altering the evidence . . . from decomposition, to insects and animals, to gravity, weather, and temperature, etc.)
Next, identify the impact of all NATURAL taphonomic agents on the body over the Forensic Taphonomic Interval
Outdoor Crime Scene Reconstruction
Recreate time surrounding death scene; provide hints related to cause, manner, and circumstances of death reconstructions
What are the subfields of anthropology and what subfield does forensic anthropology fall under?
Cultural anthropology
Linguistic anthropology
Biological anthropology (or Physical)
Archaeology . . .
Forensic anthropology falls under biological/physical anthropology
Important figures in forensic anthropology
Dr. Dirkmaat and T. Dale Stewart
Dr. Dennis Dirkmaat
Director of DAFS for 32 years
Trained as a biological anthropologist and archaeologist
Board-certified ABFA (50) in 1996
T. Dale Stewart Award winner for Lifetime Achievement in the Field of Forensic Anthropology
Forensic Anthropologist for Singapore and Puerto Rico
Consultant to National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
What cases was Dr. Dirkmaat involved in? What aspect of forensic anthropology does he emphasize on?
1200 forensic anthropology cases since 1986 (more than 400 field recoveries)
Types of cases: Human vs. non human, searches, surface-scattered cases, buried body features, fatal fire scenes, mass disasters
Skeletal analyses of over 700 individuals
Emphasizes in forensic archaeology
T. Dale Stewart
Smithsonian Institution
Model forensic anthropologist
FBI walked over a box of bones for Stewart to review
Stewart provided biological profile, almost exclusively
History of Anthropology
Forensic anthropology used to only be concerned with dry bones
Bones shipped to forensic anthropologist after recovery by law enforcement, after forensic pathological examination, and often after clay reconstruction of facial features
Concerned primarily with providing basic biological parameters in attempt to narrow missing person’s list
No skeletal trauma analysis
No consideration of the scene or context
No contribution to cause, manner, or circumstances of death
Box-o-Bones methods and issues?
Forensic anthropologists consulting on cases of skeletonized, unidentified remains
Box of bones delivered to the lab
Focus on the bones: lab-based discipline almost exclusively focused on biological profile
No consideration of context to address other issues and very few cases
Previous methods in anthropology?
A box of bones is sent to the lab for a skeletal analysis with no consideration for the context (mainly just concerned with bio profile)
What is the role of forensic anthropologists?
Inventory and documentation
Biological profile
Determination of identity
Notation of skeletal trauma
Inventory and documentation
Determine each skeletal element to specific bone, and side
Determine each fragment to specific bone, portion, and side
Experts with highly altered bones: weathered, burned, pathological
Biological Profile
Sex
Chronological Age
Ancestry
Stature
Determination of identity
Unique features
Radiographic comparison
Notation of skeletal trauma
Assessment of timing of damage: antemortem, perimortem, and postmortem
Blunt force vs. sharp force vs. gunshot
Knife cuts
Saw cuts
Gunshot impact
Blunt force
Sharp force
Do forensic anthropologists determine manner and cause of death?
NO; only ME’s
How do forensic anthropologists determine whether remains have forensic significance?
*Is it human or nonhuman?
Modern or ancient remains?
Based on context (and shape and density of the bones lol)
Why do forensic anthropologists look a bio profile?
To get a general description of the individual . . .
What are the three main types of skeletal trauma?
Blunt force trauma
Sharp force trauma
Gunshot force trauma
Blunt force trauma
Slow loading force
Bone bends before fracturing
Bone is distorted: edges no longer match up
Sharp force trauma
Cutting and incising in bone with knives, saws
Gunshot force trauma
Fast loading of force
Bone shatters
Reconstruction successful
What types of cases does Dr. Dirkmaat and the Mercyhurst team assist with?
Surface scatter and burials
Methods for sex assessment?
Study the pelvis
Study the cranium
Study robusticity of the skeleton
Study the metrics (males bigger than females generally)
Methods for age estimation?
Development of long bones
Development of the teeth
Cranial sutures
Pubic symphysis
Auricular surface
Rib ends
Methods for stature estimation?
Mathematical:
Use of single or multiple elements
Relies on consistent relationship between bones and height
Anatomical:
Sum of ALL elements
Convert skeletal height to living height
Soft tissue conversion
Methods for ancestry estimation?
Variation due to geographic regions
Basically, considered in the USA only
FORDISC computer program
Hefner’s morphoscopic approach
What is the history of the field of toxicology and how has it been used in forensic science?
Toxicology is arguably the oldest scientific discipline, as the earliest humans had to recognize which plants were safe to eat
What was the first documented use of toxicology?
???????
What are other well-known examples of toxicology?
2700 BC – Chinese journals show the cataloging of food and fish poisons
1900s-1200 BC– Egyptian documents have directions for the collection, preparation and administration of more than 800 recipes, both medicinal and poisonous
800 BC– India writings contain Hindu medicines that show notes on both poisons and antidotes
50-100 AD– Greek physicians classify over 600 plant, animal, and mineral poisons “De Materia Medica”
50-400 AD– Romans use poisons for executions and assassinations (such as Socrates was executed using hemlock for his teaching of radical ideas to youth)
1200AD– Spanish rabbi, Maimonidies, writes a first-aid book for poisonings, Poisons and Their Antidotes
1493-1541 AD– Paracelsus is credited with being “the father of modern toxicology”
1713 AD– Italian physician Ramazzini publishes De Morbis Artificium (Disease of Workers)
1815 AD– Spanish physician, Orfila, establishes toxicology as a distinct scientific discipline
20th century– Paul Ehrlich develops staining influence on living organisms
20th century– Rachel Carson publishes Silent Spring, which alarms public about the dangers of pesticides
What is forensic toxicology?
Application of toxicology to the law
Use chemical analysis to determine causes and circumstances of death in a postmortem investigation
Who practices forensic toxicology?
People who want to evaluate the bodily effects of drugs, contaminants, and other toxins
This work may be carried out in government, private industry, and universities as well as other research settings
Mechanistic toxicologists
Descriptive toxicologists
Clinical toxicologists
Environmental toxicologists
Regulatory toxicologists
What is a drug?
Natural or synthetic substance that is used to produce psychological or physiological effects in humans or other higher order animals
What does “dose” mean?
The amount of a chemical that gains access to the body
What does “intoxication” mean?
Under the influence of drugs (driving under the influence of alcohol)
Where do poisoning events most often occur?
90% happen in the home!
What drug(s) is/are most used?
???????
What drug is most widely available?
Alcohol?
What drugs can be synthesized from opium?
Opioids (synthetic opioids)??
morphine, codeine, oxycodone, and heroin
What scheduling classes do well-known drugs fall under?
Scheduling 1-5 (refer back to DRUGS flashcard set!!!!)
Five schedules of classification based upon:
Potential for abuse
Potential for physical and psychological dependence
Medical value
What are the factors that can affect intoxication?
Body weight
Rate of absorption through stomach and small intestines directly into the blood stream
Influenced by presence/absence of food
Total time taken to consume the alcohol
Type of alcohol consumed- diluted/undiluted
The longer total time required for complete absorption, the lower will be the peak alcohol concentration
What are factors that can affect the calculation of an individual’s BAC/BAL?
Legislative limits for DUI are different depending on country and jurisdiction
Uniform testing must be available to accurately determine BAC at time of arrest
There must be an allowable level of analytical inaccuracy at time of testing vs. time of arrest (Usually between 0.2g/L (g of alcohol per L of blood))
Generally, blood alcohol level drops about 15 to 20 mg/dL per hour
A person with a BAL of 120 mg/dL (1.2 g/L) would take 6 to 8 hours to reach a negligible level
“The ______ makes the poison”
DOSE
Symptoms that law enforcement might rely on to determine whether an individual is intoxicated?
Smell
Bloodshot eyes
Unusual behavior
Demeanor: flat, dull, excited
Unusually large/small pupils
Unusual eye movements
Impaired motor skills
Chronic exposure?
Repeated for over 90 days
Acute exposure?
Less than 24 hours in duration and usually entails just a single exposure
Subcategories of exposure?
Subacute:
Repeated for up to 30 days
Subchronic:
Repeated for 30 to 90 days
