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Technique to Capture, Analyze, and Quantify Anterior Teeth Rotations for Application in Court Cases Involving Tooth Marks

NCJ Number
214501
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 51 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2006 Pages: 624-629
Author(s)
Herman Bernitz Ph.D.; Willie F.P. van Heerden Ph.D.; Tore Solheim Ph.D.; Johanna H. Owen B.Sc.
Date Published
May 2006
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This South-African study developed a technique for accurately measuring and recording individual front tooth rotations (tooth positioning in relation to a vertical axis through the tooth and in relation to the curve of the dental arch) and their occurrence within a specific population.
Abstract
The digital images created with the aid of the stereomicroscope and digital camera created an accurate and reproducible method for recording, storing, and measuring dental study models. This technique reduces the problems associated with space and the cost involved in the long-term mass storage of dental study models and eliminates the possibility of model fracture. The software program allows for the accurate, repeatable, user-friendly analysis. The frequencies of individual dental rotations were documented, and the rotation values were classified according to Allan's scheme of common, uncommon, and very uncommon features. This database of front-teeth rotations of a representative sample of a population enables bitemark comparisons according to the rotation of each tooth in relation to the frequencies of that tooth's rotation within the database population. When a rotation of a tooth in a bitemark at a crime scene is found to be uncommon, then a match with that tooth's rotation for a suspect suggests that he/she made the crime-scene bitemark. The research was conducted in the Bronkhorstspruit area of South Africa, and the 300 volunteers (155 men and 145 women) reflected the age, race, and sex ratios established by the population census of 1996. Wax wafers were used to record the front teeth in which tooth rotations and a selection of other dental features could be analyzed. A case study is included to demonstrate the usefulness of the technique in identifying a rape suspect through bitemark evidence. 6 tables and 32 references