Global Education Program

In the ever growing field of forensic sciences, more and more branches are finally beginning to receive the attention they deserve. Among these relatively new fields, a key role is played by forensic odontology.

Perhaps you’ve heard of cases (especially domestic violence and rape) solved thanks to bite mark analysis – this is what forensic dentistry does. To be more precise, it has two main areas of activity: extracting information from teeth, and analysing bite marks.

A lot of information can be extracted from the teeth alone: age can be determined, especially in the case of children, when the teeth aren’t fully developed, sometimes the sex, as well as signs of violence. This is pretty standard, as you can find in any manual. Things get really interesting when it comes to bitemarks though.

Technically speaking, every man has a unique, distinct bite pattern, kind of like fingerprints. So if I bite something, and somewhere there is a dental record of mine, then I can be clearly and positively identified by that alone. Convictions have been obtained using bitemarks as the major evidence. Most famous among these cases is perhaps Ted Bundy, the infamous American serial killer, rapist, kidnapper, and necrophile who assaulted and murdered numerous young women during the 1970s.

However, in practice, this method is not unfailable; there have actually been several cases where forensic odontology has led to wrongful convictions. This is why a DNA sampling is always recommended to complement the bitemark analysis.

Forensic odontology has gone a long way; the first documented case of a forensic dentistry was performed by Agrippina, the mother of Roman Emperor Nero. As the legend has it, she asked for one of her enemies’ head brought on a plate, but when she received it, it was unrecognizable. So she checked for a distinctive tooth she knew, and thus identified the man.

Generally speaking, forensic dentistry is responsible for six kinds of practice:

Identifying human remains

Identifications in mass fatalities

Assessment of bite mark injuries

Assessment of cases of abuse – bite marks are very common in these cases

Civil cases involving malpractice

Age estimation

Indeed, in tragic mass fatalities, odontologists play an important role; why? Because often, the bodies are damaged beyond recognition – but since teeth are made out of extremely resiliant substances, they serve as an useful identification method.

There are no colleges for forensic odontology; what you need to do is study dentistry, and take as many forensic optional courses as possible, and you will be elligible for such a job. The money is very good, but be warned that there are few full time jobs as a forensic odontologist.

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