Comparative Dental Analysis

Human identification by forensic scientists can be done by three primary methods; Friction Ridge Analysis, DNA analysis and Comparative Dental Analysis which is one of the roles of a forensic odontologist. It is the process of identification by a post-mortem (PM) dental examination of a deceased individual (or individuals) comparing these findings with the antemortem (AM) dental records, radiographs, study casts, etc. Believed to be those of the individual (or individuals) implicated assessing the concordance and/or discrepancy of the comparison of results.Teeth are resilient, and along with the highly specific and unique type, location and configuration of restorations, might be the only features used for the identification of bodies found in burnt, decomposed, skeletonised, or macerated condition.

Methodology

The appointed forensic odontologist notes down all dental findings in PM intra-oral examination. It can also include taking dental radiographs and/or photographs wherever possible.Further, AM dental records are provided of the suspected missing person/persons by the police officer, that needs to be interpreted by the forensic odontologist. The records are maintained by the legal department and only the investigators are allowed access by the Coroner or Police Officer that need to be assessed and interpreted by the forensic odontologist.The forensic odontologist then compares the PM dental findings with those of the antemortem records and gives a conclusion on the established identification of the deceased or otherwise in the form of a dental report. This dental report can be further taken into evidence to either confirm identification or to present in court in criminal cases.

Applications
  • Single body identifications:[1][2]
• Unidentified bodies disfigured beyond recognition;
• Fire accident victims;
• Drowned individuals;
• Severely decomposed bodies;
• Skeletonised remains.
  • Multiple identifications/ Mass disasters:[1][2]
• Mass fatality accidents;
• Mass graves;
• Natural calamities;
• Mass shooting.

Cases solved via Comparative Dental Identification
  1. The identification of Lollia Paulina in 49 AD was the first reported case of dental identification of an individual. Agrippina, the wife of Roman Emperor Claudius ordered her soldiers to kill Lollia who was the first wife of the Emperor. After killing Lollia Paulina, the soldiers bought her head to Agrippina who identified her with her unique teeth.[3][4]
  2. John Talbot, the first Earl of Shrewsbury was identified based on his missing left molar by his personal herald.[3]
  3. Dr. Joseph Warren was identified with his ivory and gold prosthesis made by Paul Revere when he was killed in the Battle of Bunker hill.[3]
  4. John Wilkes Booth who assassinated Abraham Lincoln was identified by his abnormal jaw and his gold restorations.[3]
  5. About 126 people were killed in the fire in Bazar de la Charite and due to the severity of the burns, most of the bodies were identified based on their teeth.[5]
  6. Adolf Hitler who committed suicide in 1945 was identified by his prosthesis in 1968.[6]
  7. When 158 victims aboard the Scandinavian Star ferry were burnt to death, comparative dental identification was used to identify 107 victims.[7]
  8. After the 9/11 disaster, hundreds of victims were identified based on their dental remains.[8]
  9. When thousands of people were killed in the tsunami in Phuket, Thailand, most of the international victims were identified based on dental comparison.[9]

References
  1. Glass, Richard Thomas, 1941- (2009). Practical forensic dentistry : theory and practice of forensic dentistry. Von Fraunhofer, J. A. (Joseph Anthony). Saarbrücken: VDM Verlag Dr. Müller. ISBN 978-3-639-17109-9. OCLC 438642769.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. Keiser-Nielsen, Søren. (1980). Person identification by means of the teeth : a practical guide. Bristol [England]: Wright. ISBN 978-0-7236-0557-7. OCLC 6813484.
  3. Ramasamy, Chidambaram (October 2014). "A Select List Of International Cases Solved Using Forensic Odontology" (PDF). ResearchGate.
  4. "The Roman Empress Who Used Forensic Science To Identify Her Rival's Head". Strange Remains. December 28, 2016.
  5. Amoedo, Oscar (November 1897). "The Role of the Dentists in the Identification of the Victims of the Catastrophe of the "Bazar de la Charite," Paris, 4th of May, 1897". Dental Cosmos. 11: 905–912.
  6. Sognnaes, Reidar F.; Ström, Ferdinand (1973-01-01). "The odontological identification of Adolf Hitler: Definitive documentation by X-rays, interrogations and autopsy findings". Acta Odontologica Scandinavica. 31 (1): 43–69. doi:10.3109/00016357309004612. ISSN 0001-6357. PMID 4575430.
  7. Solheim, Tore; Lorentsen, Magne; Sundnes, Per Kristian; Bang, Gisle; Bremnes, Lasse (1992-11-01). "The "Scandinavian Star" ferry disaster 1990 -a challenge to forensic odontology". International Journal of Legal Medicine. 104 (6): 339–345. doi:10.1007/BF01369554. ISSN 1437-1596. PMID 1515361.
  8. Berry, James (December 1, 2001). "Forensic Dentistry: Identifying The Victims Of 9/11". OralHealthGroup.
  9. Schuller-Götzburg, P.; Suchanek, J. (2007-09-13). "Forensic odontologists successfully identify tsunami victims in Phuket, Thailand". Forensic Science International. 171 (2): 204–207. doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2006.08.013. ISSN 0379-0738. PMID 17029859.
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