Analysis of forensic odontological examinations at the National Forensic Service of Korea from 2011 to 2015.

The National Forensic Service (NFS) of Korea is a government agency responsible for examining and evaluating evidence obtained at crime scenes. The Section of Forensic Odontology of the Medical Examiner's Office conducts forensic odontological analyses of human remains, and mainly criminal cases are handled. In this study, 588 forensic odontological cases referred to NFS during 2011-2015 were analyzed for referral pattern, evidence material, examination criteria, and other factors and were compared with respective data from 2007 to 2010. Majority of the requests were internal (further dental examinations after autopsy) rather than external (direct requests from other agencies such as police departments). Regarding evidence materials, "Teeth" (including teeth and resected jaws) were dominant evidences. Due to the seasonal effects in Korea, the highest number of requests was in September of each year, but the number of requests in April has recently increased. Evidence materials were mostly found in suburban and rural area, especially in mountainous area due to the geographic characteristics of Korea. Regarding specific examinations, profiling, including age estimation, accounted for majority of the requests; this number had increased relative to the findings of a previous study, whereas the number of requests for dental identification and bite mark analysis had decreased. With this analysis, trends in forensic odontology can be observed, and we expect that these trends would be served as a reference for designing study and making training protocol for forensic odontology.

Analytical Review of the Forensic Anthropological Techniques for Stature Estimation in Korea / 체질인류학회지

Stature is one of the unique biological properties of a person, which can be used for identification of the individual. In this regard, statures are estimated for the unknown victims from crimes and disasters. However, the accuracy of estimates may be compromised by inappropriate methodologies and/or practices of stature estimation. Discussed in this study are the methodological issues related to the current practices of forensic anthropological stature estimation in Korea, followed by suggestions to enhance the accuracy of the stature estimates. Summaries of forensic anthropological examinations for 560 skeletal remains, which were conducted at the National Forensic Service (NFS), were reviewed. Mr. Yoo Byung-eun's case is utilized as an example of the NFS's practices. To estimate Mr. Yoo's stature, Trotter's (1970) femur equation was applied even though the fibula equation of a lower standard error was available. In his case report, the standard error associated with the equation (±3.8 cm) was interpreted as an ‘error range’, which gave a hasty impression that the prediction interval is that narrow. Also, stature shrinkage by aging was not considered, so the estimated stature in Mr. Yoo's case report should be regarded as his maximum living stature, rather than his stature-at-death. Lastly, applying Trotter's (1970) White female equations to Korean female remains is likely to underestimate their statures. The anatomical method will enhance the accuracy of stature estimates. However, in cases that the anatomical method is not feasible, the mathematical method based on Korean samples should be considered. Since 1980's, effort has been made to generate stature estimation equations using Korean samples. Applying the equations based on Korean samples to Korean skeletal remains will enhance the accuracy of the stature estimates, which will eventually increase the likelihood of successful identification of the unknowns.

A Statistical Analysis on Forensic Odontological Examination at the NFS from 2007 to 2010 / 대한법의학회지

Analysis of the cases registered for the Forensic Odontology Lab of the National Forensic Service (NFS) from April 6th, 2007 to December 2010 was performed to observe the trend and pattern of the cases, in order to propose measures for improvement in future cases both in quantity as well as quality. High rate of cases were observed from the capital area, especially in ground and mountains during warmer season from June to October. Most of the cases were of human remains requested and examined for the estimation of age, sex, stature and identification. However, some of the requested criteria were applied forensic methods such as postmortem interval, cause of death, and facial reconstruction which could not be conducted. To better fulfill the needs of the society, reform of the current registration-examination system by introducing a multi-disciplinary team for processing the scene, education of the law enforcement personnel, research and acquiring funds for the relevant areas, developing antemortem dental record database are recommended for improvement in quantity and quality of the information produced by odontology lab.