David Van Huffel
Griffin Byers
HEM 100
16 October 2017
Forensic Odontology Research Paper Dentistry has very little application in most emergency and disaster situations. Dentistry is often considered mostly cosmetic and non essential, as there are very few life threatening dental conditions. This is why most health insurance plans exclude dental coverage. However there is a branch of dentistry that is very applicable in disaster situations and even in legal cases. Forensic odontology is the evaluation and examination of dental evidence in order to identify a person. This field is very important for identifying bodies after large disasters and linking persons to crimes, however new technologies and techniques are constantly changing the accuracy
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Teeth are the strongest bones in the human body. They are composed of calcium, phosphorus, sodium and other minerals. There are two main layers that make up boney structures of teeth. The core of the tooth is made of a softer bone framework called dentine. The outside of the tooth is made of enamel which is the shiny surface. Enamel is the hardest material your body can create and is very durable. This strength is the backbone of how forensic odontology works. Even when all of the soft tissue is gone and only a skeleton remains, teeth can still be used as a unique identifying feature. When using forensic odontology to identify a body it is important to have antemortem, or before death, records to compare to a post mortem evaluation. There are many different aspects of the mouth that can be used for identification. Disturbance of tooth eruption evaluates how much of a tooth is above the surface of the gums compared to underneath. It is also valuable to identify anomalies such as exposed roots, which lack enamel and wear differently in the mouths acidic conditions compared to the crown of the tooth. The second useful examination is the …show more content…
However most of these form of identification require detailed photographic records of the individuals teeth or up to date radiographic records. The most useful form of identification comes with the advent of dental restoratives such as fillings, crowns, implants, bridges, partials, and dentures. Two people with a filling in the exact same place on the same tooth will still have different and unique fillings. This is because the tooth structure and internal depth and dimensions of a filling is completely unique to each case. This causes most mouths to be unique to the individual. These types of dental procedures are usually very well documented in antemortem dental records and have many links to the individual. Things such and dental office records and insurance records can be easily cross referenced to link a unique combination of dental treatments to the personal information of the owner. The American Board of Forensic Odontologists propose four levels of certainty when trying to identify someone using dental records. First of which being a complete positive identification. This means there are no discrepancies is in the antemortem and postmortem records and an identification can
Odontology is when the use of dental knowledge is used to help solve a crime. Souviron’s use of this technique left no doubt in the court room. This was one of the main reasons for Bundy to be finally convicted of the Chi Omega murders. The number of murders by Ted Bundy will forever be a mystery, but with the use of Odontology, we can guarantee at least one murder done by Bundy.
The article Poor Teeth was written by Sarah Smarsh with the goal in mind being to shed light on the issue between upper and lower class society in a particularly concrete way. Teeth and dental health are an easy thing for people to imagine in their head because everyone has a set whether they’re white and shiny or black and rotted. This makes it easy to draw a comparison between people that care for their teeth and those who don’t. However, access to dental knowledge and services which the lower class often times doesn’t have is very different between the poor and the rich. While the rich stroll through life showing off their perfect glossy white rows of teeth, there are less privileged people out there with barren mouths whose weak pale gums
CONCLUSION “There are just too many variables,” said Dr. C. Michael Bowers, author of “Forensics Dental Evidence: An Investigator’s Handbook,” (Bowers, 2004.)
Forensics Anthropology can be used within a court of law. The science is a way to discover many different aspects of human’s remains and life. For example Hurricane Katrina claimed the lives of many persons in Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf coast. Forensics Anthropolgist where sent to the disaster to identify the remains of victims. Many of the victims where the elderly. Often times many factors affect a disaster. The victims of Hurricane Katrina did not receive proper warning of the dangers of the hurricane. The hurricane was a disaster and required many teams of forensics investigators to uncover and identify persons.
3) Describe the rationale and demonstrate how to chart existing restorations (amalgam, composite, gold, crowns, bridges, other), missing teeth, incipient caries and caries.
Cosmetic dentistry has come a long way over the past decade or so. Many of the cutting edge dental procedures and techniques have made cosmetic dentistry available to more people, and more affordable as well!
Tooth enamel is a hard mineral substance that covers your teeth. Without this special coating, your teeth will decay and erode. In fact, mineral is found inside your body, especially in your bones. This is the same chemical makeup that you can expect to find in large mammals like whales. If you read on, you’ll find that the main ingredient in mineral is hydroxyapatite, a ceramic biomaterial made of calcium phosphate.
Picture yourself with a toothache or someone with poor hygiene and knowing you cannot do anything to change it without a dentist. A dentist is specialized individual that treats the diseases and conditions that affect the oral cavity.
I decided to do my research report on dentistry because it is a perfect blend of science and art. It is a science in that you must fully comprehend on the different types of diagnostic and procedures you are doing. It is an art in that you are constantly working with your hands to create a beautiful smile. The impact you make on helping a person achieve an impeccable smile is not one to compare with materialistic things like money or cars. People often mistake dentist as only doing practices when in fact they could do more, like research. I was fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity to interview Dr. Sarah Pham, DDS, a close family friend who practices dentistry in her own private office in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Pham was
Another method of determining an identity of a deceased individual is by looking at their bones. Pathologist is the person who would be called upon regarding the inspection of a body of bones that is located. This individual is capable of providing data to investigators like apparent age, height, build, weight, and scars that the individual may have
Forensic Science has contributed to our world a great deal. People often misunderstand Forensic Science and believe it is much more capable than it really is. As a matter of fact what you see on T.V. is around 80% false or over exaggerated in some way. To Start of, Criminal Investigation is the largest and most known form of Forensic Science. Some of the more known areas include; Fingerprinting, Ballistics, DNA Identification, Fiber Samples, Computer Animation, Documentation analysis, etc. To get this out of the way in the beginning, what you saw on last night’s law and order is far from the truth. Things they do in a matter of hours take months at a time, and most of the time aren’t even plausible concepts.
What once seemed like a typical accident of an eight-year-old girl on her bike, seems to be a cover up story for what is suspected to be child abuse. With a review of the patients complete dental record history, it
Nowadays the practice of dentistry is becoming more challenging and complex because of the information explosion regarding dental materials and equipment, increasing need for continuous professional development and an increasingly litigious society. Hence there has been a paradigm shift towards evidence-based healthcare .
Dentists have been around for thousands of years. Dentistry got its start in the Indus Valley of India And Pakistan. “The earliest history of treating tooth related problems goes all the way back to 7000 BC, where the Indus Valley Civilization shows evidence of treating the mouth for tooth decay. The first method of treatment was bow drills, which were ancient primitive tools used for woodworking and treating tooth problems.” (http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/12/the-history-of-dentistry/)paragrah1 .These industrious would be dentists were master bead makers who used bow drills to cure tooth problems. From the ancient Egyptians to the Greco-Romans to early Chinese civilizations dentists have existed to aid the people with their teeth problems.
Cosmetic dentistry is a specialized field that deals with improving the aesthetics of teeth and the human face. The teeth are an important part of human beauty. Even minor damage to the teeth, such as breakage or loss can drastically alter the overall appearance of the face. This is where cosmetic dentistry comes in to restore beauty. Cosmetic dentistry has become a highly specialized branch due to various advancements in surgical procedures and diagnostic techniques. Several new materials have also been discovered. These materials are very close to the natural enamel and bone from which teeth are made and are virtually indistinguishable. Cosmetic dentistry is an option in conditions such as teeth loss, gaps between teeth, cracked or chipped teeth, cavities and dental