forensic odontology Flashcards
what are the 6 areas of forensic odontology?
identifying human remains identifying mass fatalities abuse bitemarks civil cases involving malpractice ageing deceased and living
what features are unique to each and every one of us?
DNA
Frontal sinus
fingerprint
dental
Why are teeth good for identification?
- survive effects of thermal, biochemical and mechanical trauma much better than other tissues of the body.
- restorations unique to individuals
- malocclusion and anomalies unique
what is the best method of dentally identifying individuals?
ante-mortem dental records
between what ages is it easier to determine age dentally?
up to 21 years it is easy to asses teeth and distinguish between age groups
why do we need to age an individual?
immigrants
lawful sex
criminal responsability
how is ageing helpful in mass casualties?
helps group individuals in to age groups making identification easier.
how can we estimate age?
features of skeleton
appearance (poor)
teeth
which bones are used to age?
pelvic and pubic symphases, non synovial joints
how are age changes in bone assessed?
surface of bone developmental changes maturation changes biochemical cranial sutures
are cranial sutures a reliable method of ageing?
NO. not useful after sutures fused.
What else can cranial sutures be used to identify?
gender and race
what methods can we use to age individuals dentally before the age of 21?
- radiographic foetal ageing
- neonatal line
- development and mineralisation dates
- erupting dentition and root development
After the age of 21yrs how can we determine an estimate of age from teeth?
- tooth surface loss
- translucent dentine
- racemisation
- postmortem changes
how can we tell from the neonatal line if foetus was
alive?
if normal enamel and dentine is visible beyond the neonatal line
