Forensic Odontology
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What is the primary duty of the forensic entomologist?
Human identification (determining the identity of the deceased person)
What are 7 types of cases that can be worked by a forensic odontologist?
• Violent crimes such as homicide, assault and sexual assault • Child abuse • Elder abuse • Missing persons investigations • Mass disasters such as plane crashes • Bitemarks on items left at crime scenes (food items, gum) • Professional negligence (civil cases)
Who was the first person in American history to use forensic odontology?
Paul Revere
How many full time forensic odontologists are there in the United States? (outside of the government).
ZERO!
What other forensic discipline is most closely related to forensic odontology?
DNA because saliva which contains DNA is often left on bitemarks
What American serial killer was the subject of the first high profile bitemark case?
Ted Bundy
What are 4 reasons that a forensic odontologist may be needed in a case of a missing or unidentified person case?
• the person may be unrecognizable due to decomposition or being burned beyond recognition • the body may not have fingerprints or the person’s prints may not be in any database so no comparisons can be done • in mass disasters, victims may be highly fragmented; teeth or fragments of teeth can be used to identify a person • even if not decomposed, the body may not have any personal effects that can aid in identification
Bitemark evidence is most closely tied to what type of crime?
Sexual assault
What is dental profiling?
Examining teeth to give clues about the person’s ethnicity, history of dental care and lifestyle
Can a forensic odontologist determine the species of the bitemark?
Yes. They can determine, for example, if the bite was made by a dog or cat or human. However, they would NOT be able to determine the breed of the dog.