NCJ Number
174919
Journal
Gazette Volume: 59 Issue: 1 Dated: January 1997 Pages: 2-11
Date Published
1997
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Guidelines from the American Board of Forensic Odontology focus on procedures for the use of dental analysis in identifying victims in death investigations.
Abstract
The comparison of a missing person's dental records with the dental evidence from unknown human remains is one of the most reliable and accepted means of positive scientific identification. Although dental characteristics will change during life (cavities, fillings, extractions, etc.), postmortem changes are very slow, in some cases lasting for centuries. By using computer software programs designed to search and compare dental records, it is possible to use the dental evidence available to narrow the field of records. This is called the comparison/search process. Currently, only half of the unidentified entries in the FBI's National Crime Information Center include dental information. Law enforcement could make better use of this tool in solving missing/unidentified person cases. In discussing dental analysis in missing person cases, this paper considers the content and use of the missing person report and the collection and use of the dental information. Guidelines for dental analysis in unidentified-body cases focus on procedures for bodies in various conditions, including bodies that are severely fragmented, severely burned, skeletonized, and decomposed. Other topics considered are the preserving of the dental information, visual examination and dental charting, dental radiographs, bitewing radiographs, periapical radiographs, panoramic radiographs, medical radiographs, photographs, and study models. Also addressed are the preservation of jaw and tooth fragments, skeletal remains, jaws with soft tissue remaining, and the authorization for the removal of dental structures. The CAPMI (Computer-Aided Postmortem Identification) computer program, protocol between programs, and the sharing of information are also considered, along with the protocol when a match is found by a search/comparison program. 6-item bibliography