Practical Forensic Odontology

The teaching of forensic odontology to postgraduate students taking the Diploma in Forensic Odontology course in the United Kingdom and Australia, coupled with the growing interest in the subject amongst dental undergraduates, dentists, forensic physicians and police scenes-of-crimes investigators, and the increasing recognition by the courts of the value of dental evidence, have stimulated the production of this handbook. It is hoped that this book will serve as an introduction to the various aspects of the subject that require a practical approach and also provide useful background knowledge when faced with attendance in court. It is not intended that this text should replace or update the numerous works on forensic odontology, but serve as a complementary handbook dealing with those aspects of the subject requiring a "how to do it" approach for those who wish to make a start in this field, develop a greater understanding of the needs of forensic odontologists, or as an aide-memoire for those occasionally active in the field. Each chapter indicates the most useful references for further study and suggests further reading material. A dentist can undertake many of the procedures required in forensic odontology using equipment normally available in the dental surgery and laboratory, without recourse to "high tech" laboratory facilities. This handbook attempts to provide guidance in undertaking these procedures, with additional information on techniques that may require reference to a suitably equipped institute. With the decrease in restorative dentistry, age assessment will be of increasing importance in the identification process. This difficult subject has received a different approach in order to encourage further reading and assist the reader in selecting a suitable method.

Table of Contents:
Human tooth identification; microscopical techniques; the chronology of dental development and age assessment; the foetal skeleton; examination of the unidentified body - mortuary procedures; identification by photographic superimposition; radiography of postmortem material; dental record interpretation; mass disaster procedures; bite mark examination procedures - victims and suspects; child abuse; bite marks in tissue and in inanimate objects - analysis and comparison; comparative bite marks - differential diagnosis; forensic dental photography; the preparation of reports and the presentation of evidence; appearing in court; the legal system in the British Isles. Appendices: polyester resin embedding for hard-tissue specimens; methods of age assessment using dental data; foetal osteology - regresssion charts; quick reference notations comparison chart; English language dental abbreviations.