Bite Marks: Indispensable Forensic Evidence

Introduction: Forensic odontology involves the collection, management, interpretation, evaluation, and presentation of dental evidence for criminal or civil legal proceedings, a combination of various aspects of the dental, scientific and legal professions. Bite mark analysis is an essential aspect of it that can significantly impact the courtroom or when considering the care of children and women deemed at risk. Materials and Methods: Data were obtained and analyzed from previously published literature and electronic database searches of relevant published literature from PubMed and Google Scholar. Forensic odontologists examine, interpret, analyze, and prepare reports on bruises or marks thought to be caused by teeth and, on occasion, are cross-examined in a court of law. Hence, they are considered essential in forensic dentistry in solving crimes to find either suspects or even victims in self-inflicted injuries as they are caused either by humans or animals that reveal biting edges, spacing, restorations, missing teeth, broken teeth, or supernumerary teeth unique to that individual. The main reasons for causation are sexual crimes, homicides, child abuse, and violent fights. There are many methods to analyze, that are classified into manual, semi-automatic, and automatic methods. Objectives: This review highlights the bite marks in detail about their characteristics, methods of collection and different methods of analysis and its applications in forensic odontology. Conclusion: This review shows different methods of analyzing bitemarks and explains the advantages, disadvantages, and limitations, and identifies which method is better advisable and adaptableforanalysis.

Importance of Dental Radiography in Forensic Odontology: A Review

Introduction: Forensic odontology is an important and evolving branch. It has been established for critical issues like medi- colegal cases and identification of a dead person. Radiographic assisted documentation will provide objective information including the precise recording of the uniqueness of every individual where it has been used extensively in dental identification based on anatomy and by comparing maxillofacial skeletal landmarks in antemortem and post mortem records. Main body: Human Identification is mainly based on a dead body decomposition state. More likely of missing persons and the identification of individuals in conditions like criminal investigations and mass disasters. Odontological method for human identification is used commonly as it is simple by comparing with other methods, but complex in execution and requires skills and expertise. There are so many radiological techniques for forensic purposes like Computer tomography, cone-beam com- puter tomography, Orthopantomogram, 3D facial reconstruction, Radiovisiography, and Virtopsy. Objectives: This review highlights the different radiographic techniques and procedures and its application in forensic odon- tology. Source search criteria: Data were obtained and analyzed from previously published literature and electronic database search- es of relevant published literature from PubMed and Google Scholarfrom the 2001 to 2021 year. Conclusion: Imaging technologies and radiographs have become a vital component of modern medical practice and foren- sic odontology. The application of any of the mentioned techniques depends on the availability of previous images, data, or skeletal findings for Identification. So forensic radiology has a potential for crime-solving and is useful in conventional dental identification based on anatomy and by comparing maxillofacial skeletal landmarks in antemortem and post-mortem records, as they have become a crucial part of dental practice as well as in forensic odontology for diagnosis of disease, treatment plan- ning, identification of tooth structures, and age estimation.

Gingival fibromatosis with hemi-osseous hyperplasia of jaws, focal maxillary viral papillomatosis of gingiva, fissured tongue and congenitally missing anterior teeth: A case report and surgical management of a new syndrome.

Gingival fibromatosis is characterized by fibrotic enlargement of the gingiva that can occur as inherited or sporadic form. Inherited form can be an isolated trait or as a component of a syndrome. This article reports a 35 year old male patient affected by gingival fibromatosis associated with hemiosseous hyperplasia of mandible, maxilla, and zygoma on the right side, viral papillomatosis of maxillary anterior gingiva, fissured tongue and congenitally missing anterior teeth. The patient was subjected to phase I and phase II periodontal therapy. There was no evidence of recurrence of the enlargement after one year but the papillomatosis recurred. Gingival fibromatosis has been reported to be associated with various other abnormalities but not with those described in our case. This observation raises the possibility that the coexistence of these entities in our case may represent a new syndrome.

Role of deeper sections in diagnostic oral histopathology: A retrospective study.

Background: Histopathology is a gold standard diagnostic tool for many lesions. Interpretation of tissue sections is a pivotal step in giving the diagnosis. Usually, initial tissue sections may not show complete features of the lesion, so deeper sections of the specimen may play a significant role at times for final diagnosis. In small biopsy specimens, deeper sectioning is routinely used in many laboratories to enhance the sensitivity and accuracy of the diagnosis. Aim: To analyze the percentage of deeper sections taken and its significance in the final diagnosis of oral lesions. Materials and Methods: A total of 500 cases from the files of Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Vishnu Dental College, Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh were analyzed, and cases of deeper sections were selected. The present retrospective study involves comparison of initial histological findings with those seen in deeper tissue levels of same specimen. Results: 40 cases (8%) were selected for our analysis. Out of these, 19 cases (47.5%) required deeper sections as the initial sections were superficial and undiagnostic. 21 (52.5%) cases were advised for additional sections to confirm, rule out or clarify certain diagnoses, out of which 15 (37.5%) disclosed additional pathological findings, whereas 6 cases (15%) showed the same histological features. Conclusions: Diagnostic laboratories must balance the utility of deeper levels with the additional time required and expense incurred and the impact on patient care. Deeper sections are inevitable in certain situations and periodical auditing of laboratory work will reduce the need for additional sections and delay in the dispatch of biopsy report.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis of the mandible in a six-year-old child.

Histiocytosis is a term applied to a group of rare disorders of the reticuloendothelial system. Eosinophilic granuloma, the most benign and localized of the three Langerhans cell histiocytosis entities, may be solitary or multiple. Eosinophilic granuloma can affect almost any bone, but commonly involves the mandible when the jaws are affected. Conventional treatment of LCH is with surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and steroid injections, alone or in combination. Spontaneous regression of localized disease has also been reported. We report a six and a half-year-old patient with Langerhans cell histiocytosis--solitary eosinophilic granuloma of the mandible that initially regressed but rapidly recurred even after radical treatment and had a fatal outcome.