1. Forensic Anthropology and Odontology

2. Forensic Anthropology
the study of human skeletal remains to determine sex, age, race, and time of death in an effort to identify an individual
Definition has been expanded to include these subtopics:
forensic taphonomy – interpretation of outdoor death scenes
forensic archaeology – recovery of scattered or buried remains
newer topics of facial reconstruction and age progression
“Anthros” is Greek for humankind or man and logos means “the study of.”

3. Forensic Anthropology
Pictures courtesy of Charles Comer

4. Determination of Sex Pelvis best females have wider subpubic angle
females have a wider sciatic notch
females have a broad pelvic inlet
Females have a larger pelvic brim

5. Determination of Sex Pelvis best females have wider subpubic angle
females have a wider sciatic notch
females have a broad pelvic inlet

6. Determination of Sex Cranium second best
Crests and ridges more pronounced in males (A, B, C)
Chin significantly more square in males (E)
Jaw (I, E), mastoid process wide and robust in males
Forehead slopes more in males (F)

7. Other bones are not usually as good an indicator regarding sex
Determination of Sex
Other bones are not usually as good an indicator regarding sex

8. Determination of Race
The cranium is the only reliable bone and, even then, can only tell general category as below:
‘Mongoloid’ (all of Asian and Native American decent)
wider cheekbones, concave incisors,
width between eyes greatest
‘Black’ (everyone of African and West Indian decent)
more prominent ridges, wider nasal opening
‘White’ (Caucasian and Hispanic decent)
narrow everything

9. epiphyseal fusion varies with sex and is typically complete by age 25
Determination of Age from Bones
Ages 0-5: teeth are best – forensic odontology
Ages 6-25: epiphyseal fusion – fusion of bone ends to bone shaft
epiphyseal fusion varies with sex and is typically complete by age 25
Ages 25-40: very hard, can use pubic symphysis
Ages 40+: periodontal disease, arthritis, breakdown of pelvis, occupational stress, unique clues

10. Determination of Age from Bones
Occupational stress wears bones at joints
Surgeries or healed wounds aid in identification

11. Determination of Stature from Bones
Long bone length (femur, tibia, humerus) is proportional to height
There are tables that forensic anthropologists use.
For example:
Femur length Predicted Height
41 cm cm (5’6”)
50 cm cm (6’1’)
Males: (1.88 x femur length in inches)
Females: (1.945 x femur length in inches)

12. Dating Human Skeletal Remains
Under the right conditions, bodies can be reduced to a skeleton in as little as three weeks
Laboratory Tests
Immunology tests can indicate if body is a few months old or less
Blood pigments last less than 10 years
Identification of amino acids possible if less than 100 yrs old (fluorescence)
Percentage of nitrogen in bones (new is about 4.5%) – bones lose about 0.006% a year
Carbon dating for bones centuries old

13. Facial Reconstruction
1. Obtain skull
Determine demographic information
(female, Caucasian, early 40s)
Note unique features
(had lost all back teeth on upper and lower jaw)
Anything known about this individual?
(came to U.S. by boat in from Europe, died and buried in NY around 1733)

14. 3. Begin to add common fat deposits and underlying muscles
Facial Reconstruction
Add tissue depth markers
Based on largely on sex and race
3. Begin to add common fat deposits and underlying muscles

15. Facial Reconstruction
4. Add muscle to average depth for race
5. Add skin, nose, ears
6. Add features related to age and race (wrinkles, eye and hair color)

16. Facial Reconstruction
7. Add clothing etc appropriate for the time period, religious affiliations, etc

17. Facial Reconstruction

18. Photo of 2.5 year old male abducted by a family member
Age Progression
Photo of 2.5 year old male abducted by a family member
Age progression drawing using parents and siblings as a guide. It had been 15 years since the abduction so the subject was aged to 18 years of age.

19. Drawing led to tips and identification of the victim
Age Progression
Drawing led to tips and identification of the victim
Age progression drawing using parents and siblings as a guide. It had been 15 years since the abduction so the subject was aged to 18 years of age.

20. Drawing led to tips and identification of the victim
Age Progression
Drawing led to tips and identification of the victim
Age progression drawing using parents and siblings as a guide. It had been 15 years since the abduction so the subject was aged to 18 years of age.

21. Forensic Odontology identification of bite marks on victims
comparison of bite marks with teeth of a suspect
identification of unknown bodies through dental records
age estimations of skeletal remains
victim identification through DNA analysis

22. Normal Adult Human Teeth

23. Physical Characteristics
Forensic Odontology – Bite Marks
Physical Characteristics
distance from cuspid to cuspid
tooth alignment
teeth width, thickness, spacing
missing teeth
wear patterns including chips and grinding
dental history including fillings, crowns, etc.

24. (L-aspartic acid  D-aspartic acid with time)
Forensic Odontology – Age Determination
Neonatal Line – allows forensic odontologists to determine if a child was alive at birth
Ratio of L-aspartic acid to D-aspartic acid (+/- 1.5 years)
(L-aspartic acid  D-aspartic acid with time)
Gustafson’s Method – six signs of wear including dentin density and transparency (+/- 4 years)