When one hears the word- “Forensics”, we immediately think of forensic scientists in their distinct white lab coats and goggles mixing certain chemicals to obtain the identity of certain organic samples. This is what I first thought about when I decided to write on this topic and continued to do so until I stumbled upon the field- “Forensic Odontology” otherwise known as Forensic Dentistry. In simple words, Forensic dentistry refers to when one uses unique dental signatures such as bite marks in a criminal justice context.
At first glance, the applications of this field may seem limited, but you would be surprised to know that if sufficient antemortem reports exist one can easily find out the age, race, occupation and even the socioeconomic status of a deceased person. For instance, many a time in assault or sexual abuse cases the perpetrator of such crimes utilises his or her teeth as a form of a weapon.
In this case, the unique marks left by the attacker can be matched to his or her dental record given by the dental practitioner. A real-life example of bite mark evaluation can be found in the case of the infamous serial killer- Ted Bundy. This case is often seen as a cornerstone for forensic Odontology and is hailed as a landmark case in this field. In the case of Bundy, he had left a bite mark on one of his last victims. Forensics then used this to their advantage and matched the marks to Bundy’s unique Dental features. In the case of Bundy, his crooked teeth helped the forensics team, but as technology has advanced in the last 40 years or so it has become much easier to identify and associate bite marks with individuals.
Another application of Forensic Odontology can be seen in the identification of victims who cannot be visually identified. Such circumstances arise after intense Natural Disasters, burning incidents or even warfare. In such cases where the body cannot be identified, they extract the DNA from the pulp cavity and use it to crossmatch the victims. Due to the availability of modern technology these days, forensics teams across the world have begun utilising a fingerprint-like structure in your teeth known as enamel rod patterns. These patterns are indestructible and with advancements in technology are easier to cross match to a victim.
Although Technology has come a long way since the 50s and 60s, there still remain doubts regarding the accuracy of such techniques with several research papers questioning the use of Bite mark evaluations as part of criminal proceedings. The Sceptics in some cases to a varying degree might be right, but nevertheless, forensic dentistry continues to grow across the world showing its value as a part of the ever-important forensics industry.
- Abhyuday Chhajer
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