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The Medicolegal Autopsy
Published in Kevin L. Erskine, Erica J. Armstrong, Water-Related Death Investigation, 2021
The examination of skeletonized remains is aided by the expertise of the forensic anthropologist and the forensic dentist, who will work alongside the forensic pathologist whether on scene or in the autopsy suite. An inventory of all recovered bones (and teeth) must be initially done and an effort to locate the hyoid bone made (Figure 7.8 A). The hyoid bone is a c-shaped bone that sits above the thyroid cartilage (colloquially known as the Adam’s apple) and may be fractured in cases of homicidal strangulation and suicidal hanging (Figure 7.8B). Any attached skin and soft tissue will be removed so that all surfaces of the bones can be seen in order to aid in the determination of age, sex, race, evidence of injury, and identification. This is done by boiling the bones in soapy water, which allows for easy manual removal of the attached tissue without having to use blunt or sharp instruments, which may leave unwanted tool markings on the bones. X-ray of the bones with any attached soft tissue will be done before and after any manipulation so as not to miss any attached or embedded objects with potential evidentiary value. Examination with inventory of the teeth with x-ray will be done by the forensic dentist, and this may aid in identification of the decedent by dental x-ray film comparison. After inventory and examination of the bones, a segment of bone such as the femur can be excised and submitted for possible DNA extraction, which could aid in the establishment or confirmation of identification of the decedent.
Perpetrators, Pack Rats, and Postmortem Disturbances: A Case Study Involving Multiple Contexts, Jurisdictions, and Identities
Published in Heather M. Garvin, Natalie R. Langley, Case Studies in Forensic Anthropology, 2019
Angela Berg, Kent J. Buehler, Carlos Zambrano
The state penitentiary that collected the CODIS sample was also contacted for medical or dental records and they were able to locate dental records and one panoramic dental radiograph taken 21 years prior during his incarceration under Identity C. The forensic dentist was tasked with a dental comparison of the decedent to the 21-year-old dental records for Identity C, as well as dental comparison to the CT imaging of the skull for Identity B. Dental comparison established positive identification for Identity C; the dental CT imaging could not exclude the identity of Identity B as being the same individual.
Tree People and Forest People
Published in Thomas W. Young, The Sherlock Effect, 2018
Bite-mark evidence, in which forensic dentists match the pattern of a bite to a perpetrator, has been in the target sight of tree people for several years now. The outrageous conduct from a forensic dentist in Mississippi, Michael West, DDS, a colleague of the controversial Steven Hayne, MD, put bite-mark evidence into question years ago. In one important case, bite marks mysteriously appeared in the dead body of 23-month-old Haley Oliveaux, a little girl who drowned in the bathtub. A video documented the appearing of the bite marks when the child’s body was in the custody of Drs. Hayne and West: there was evidence of Dr. West repeatedly and methodically pressing and scraping a dental mold of the defendant’s teeth into the dead girl’s skin.11
Morphological variations and prevalence of aberrant traits of primary molars
Published in Annals of Human Biology, 2021
P. Sujitha, R. Bhavyaa, M. S Muthu, M. Kirthiga
Morphological variations in the form of non-metric traits are heritable and stable (Turner et al. 1991), thus expressing the underlying genetic patterns in a population. Anthropologically this relationship will allow the researchers to correlate regarding population origins, migration, and ancestral relationships. Dental morphological variations also play an important role in forensic dentistry, especially in ante mortem and post mortem dental profiling. The clinical significance of these traits in various specialties of dentistry have been specified briefly. In the field of paediatric and operative dentistry, literature suggests that the presence of Cusp of Carabelli trait increases the susceptibility of that surface to caries by 4.7 times. Thus it has been recommended to seal this area. (Bhavyaa et al. 2020). With regard to parastyle, protostylid, metaconule, cusp 6, cusp 7 and deflecting wrinkle, the authors hypothesise that these traits could also serve as a potential area for development of dental caries due to their expression in the form of pits and grooves. Challenges can also arise during the placement of stainless steel crowns with the presence of traits including the Cusp of Carabelli (Bhavyaa et al. 2020), parastyle and protostylid, which may raise the necessity to remove this trait completely before placing the crown. In the field of oral surgery, presence of traits including Cusp of Carabelli (Khan et al. 2011), parastyle and protostylid can result in fracture of these teeth during extraction as the forceps are not designed to accommodate these traits. This alerts the clinicians to use the larger size forceps to accommodate these traits. Presence of Cusp of Carabelli (Khan et al. 2011), parastyle and protostylid may hinder the adaptation of the prefabricated orthodontic bands in these teeth. Hence a larger size band needs to be fitted, which can lead to accumulation of food and plaque thereby compromising the periodontal health of the oral cavity. The traits namely, metaconule, cusp 6, cusp 7 and deflecting wrinkle are located in the centric stop region where the opposing molars occlude. It is more possible that these traits can provide additional enamel bulk and can be subjected to early wear of the teeth resulting in sensitivity (Townsend et al. 1968).