Forensic Anthropology and Odontology 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 Forensic Anthropology Pictures courtesy of Charles Comer Determination of Sex 1 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 Determination of Sex 1 Pelvis best females have wider subpubic angle females have a wider sciatic notch females have a broad pelvic inlet Determination of Sex 2 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 Determination of Sex Other bones are not usually as good an indicator regarding sex 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 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 Determination of Age from Bones Occupational stress wears bones at joints Surgeries or healed wounds aid in identification 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 41 cm 50 cm Predicted Height 167 cm 5 6 186 cm 6 1 Males 1 88 x femur length in inches 32 01 Females 1 945 x femur length in inches 28 70 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 Facial Reconstruction 1 Obtain skull Determine demographic information female Caucasian early 40s Note unique features had lost all back teeth on and lower jaw upper Anything known about this individual came to U S by boat in 1710 from Europe died and buried in NY around 1733 Facial Reconstruction 2 Add tissue depth markers Based on largely on sex and race 3 Begin to add common fat deposits and underlying muscles 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 Facial Reconstruction 7 Add clothing etc appropriate for the time period religious affiliations etc Facial Reconstruction 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 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 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 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 Normal Adult Human Teeth 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 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
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