Forensic dentistry, or forensic odontology, has proven to be an invaluable tool for law enforcement in both helping to identify people, as well as to analyze and compare bite marks to help solve crimes.
By examining teeth, we can learn tons of information about health, diet, identity, and more.
What can your teeth tell you about your health?
Your mouth can tell you a lot about the health of your body.
The mouth shows signs of tooth decay, gum disease and other oral health problems
. It can also show signs of other disease, if you’re missing certain foods from your diet and unhealthy habits such as using tobacco and tobacco-like products, and alcohol.
What can forensic detectives figure out from a person’s teeth?
Investigators can examine dental records to match them to a corpse, or to match a bite mark to a perpetrator. A forensic dentist can utilize
ameloglyphics, or enamel rod patterns
. Like fingerprints, these are unique to each individual.
How can teeth be used in forensic anthropology?
For example, when law enforcement officials find unidentified human remains such as teeth, this critical piece of evidence may be the only resource investigators can use
to compare to dental records of known missing persons to determine the person’s identity
.
What is examined when comparing dental records?
There are three categories examined when comparing dental records (ante-mortem with post-mortem) for identification, which are the
teeth, periodontal tissue, and anatomical features
.
How long does it take to identify human remains with dental records?
Dental records can take longer, depending on how long it takes to locate and request them. DNA testing typically takes the longest, Gin said. Although the state laboratory makes such cases a priority out of deference to families anxiously awaiting the results, it can take
six to eight weeks
for a routine case.
How do they identify bodies by teeth?
Another way of using teeth to identify people is
using amelogenin gene
. This gene can be extracted from the pulp of a tooth and analyzed using a polymerase chain reaction to determine the gender of the victim.
How accurate is forensic odontology?
But Golden estimates that such evidence has been correctly used to convict offenders “in nearly 1,000 cases,” and says that forensic odontologists offer up accurate analysis
about 98 percent of the time
.
What does a forensic dentist do?
Forensic odontologists are highly experienced, specially trained dentists who use their expertise to
help identify unknown remains and trace bite marks to a specific individual
. The forensic odontologist may be called in to do so by police officers, the medical examiner or the coroner.
How are your teeth connected to your organs?
The Organ-Teeth Meridians
Each tooth in the human mouth is related by a meridian to an organ in the body
. When an organ or system becomes diseased or infected, the associated tooth most likely will express some type of symptom as well.
Why do doctors look at your teeth?
“What we’re seeing is that
there’s a lot of interaction between the mouth and the body
,” Silk explained. “For example, if someone has really bad gum disease, their diabetes gets worse, their heart disease gets worse.” Of course, oral health begins in childhood.
What your teeth say about your heart?
Poor dental health increases the risk of a bacterial infection in the blood stream, which can affect the heart valves
. Oral health may be particularly important if you have artificial heart valves. Tooth loss patterns are connected to coronary artery disease.
Why are teeth important to forensics?
The clues that teeth can give investigators can be important keys to crime scene investigations. In the end, when a criminal case is solved and the victim and cause of death are identified,
information obtained from teeth can protect the general public by helping to convict the person who committed the crime
.
What part of the tooth contains DNA?
DNA in the teeth can be obtained from odontoblastic processes of dentin, cellular cementum, neurovascular tissues of pulp, radicular canals, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone. DNA is present in adequate quantity in the
crown body, root body, and root tip of the teeth
.
What is the importance human teeth in the investigation of crime?
Forensic dentists may also be asked to assist in determining age, race, occupation, previous dental history and socioeconomic status of unidentified victims. Since
teeth are commonly used as a weapon—either to attack a victim or as an act of defense
—dentistry plays a key role in police investigations.
Who practiced forensic dentistry?
The first forensic dentist in the United States was
Paul Revere
who was known for the identification of fallen revolutionary soldiers. Dr. Joseph Warren, who suffered a severe head trauma during the war, was identified by the small denture that Paul Revere had fabricated for him.
How often are dental records wrong?
A 1999 study by a member of the American Board of Forensic Odontology found a
63%
rate of false identifications.
Is Forensic Odontology still used?
Though the science behind bite marks has been debunked,
it continues to be used in courts
. And when presented as scientific evidence by so-called experts in court, bite marks seem to offer jurors a false sense of certainty.
