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5. IDENTIFICATION FROM HUMAN BITE MARKS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

IDENTIFICATION FROM HUMAN BITE MARKS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Meşe Cansev (1), Güngör Kahraman (2), Özer Başak Koca (1)

1) Ankara University, Faculty of Languages, History and Geography, Department of Anthropology, Turkey; 2) Gazi University, Faculty Dentistry, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Turkey

Meşe Cansev, e-mail: cansevmese@windowslive.com; Güngör Kahraman, e-mail: kahraman@gazi.edu.tr; Özer Başak Koca, e-mail: bkozer@ankara.edu.tr.

Abstract

Identification from human bite marks is one of the major issues which forensic sciences - forensic anthropology and forensic dentistry - are interested in. According to the American Board of Forensic Odontology (ABFO), standard studies include: tooth structure of suspects, collecting information if there is any possibility to reach DNA, taking photo of bite marks, creation of dental model of the suspect and applying methods for the bite marks analysis. The purpose of the present experimental study is to investigate the bite marks on various materials created by adult volunteers, stating if the elimination or the prevision of suspects can be made or not. A total of 20 adult volunteers (10 from each sex, aged between 20–45 years) were asked to bite styrofoam, apple, cucumber, cheddar cheese, transparency, and their upper arm (biceps). According to the ABFO standards, the photographs were taken showing the intraoral structure and bite marks from various materials, and the dental plaster models were created and scanned. Transparent coating was applied using Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended software, and comparisons were made. According to the results, comparison between transparent coatings obtained from dental plaster models and bite mark materials of styrofoam (75% of accuracy/true match on the both upper and lower jaws), cheddar cheese (85% of accuracy/true match on the upper jaw) and the upper arm (65% of accuracy/true match on the upper jaw and 70% of accuracy/true match on the lower jaw) bite marks are much more accurate than the bites marks on apple, cucumber and acetate material. We are in the opinion that experimental studies on bite marks have an important contribution to the forensic sciences and crime investigations, and future studies are needed.

Keywords

forensic anthropology, forensic dentistry, bite marks, Turkey

Цит.: Meşe Cansev, Güngör Kahraman, Özer Başak Koca IDENTIFICATION FROM HUMAN BITE MARKS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2014; 3/2014; с. 35-36