Chapter 26 – Forensic Dentistry (Knight’s Forensic Pathology)

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A comprehensive set of 150 English flashcards (question–answer format) covering key points from Chapter 26 of Knight’s Forensic Pathology (Forensic Dentistry).

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133 Terms

1
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What property of teeth makes them valuable in forensic identification?

They resist decomposition and heat.

2
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Which type of crime most commonly presents with bite marks?

Sexual assault.

3
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Typical human bite marks appear in what general shape on skin?

Horseshoe or oval.

4
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Which post-mortem phenomenon is characterised by haemoglobin diffusing into dentinal tubules?

Pink teeth.

5
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What causes the central bruising sometimes seen in bite marks?

Negative pressure (suction).

6
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Which skin surface is most prone to bite-mark distortion?

Curved or elastic skin regions.

7
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What is the first step in bite-mark documentation?

Photography with a scale.

8
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What is the main limitation in bite-mark analysis?

Skin is a dynamic, elastic medium.

9
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How are a suspect’s teeth compared with a bite mark?

Using overlay transparencies or digital imaging.

10
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Which dental trait is strongly population-specific?

Shovel-shaped incisors.

11
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What identification classification is used when dental records perfectly match post-mortem findings?

Positive identification.

12
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Which dental charting system is most widely used internationally?

FDI two-digit system.

13
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What is typically used to collect saliva for DNA from a bite mark?

Sterile swabs.

14
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Which method is most useful for identification when fingerprints are unavailable?

Dental chart and radiograph comparison.

15
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What might extensive dental restorations in remains suggest about the person?

Higher socioeconomic status.

16
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Pink teeth are most commonly seen in which scenarios?

Drowning, carbon-monoxide poisoning, and refrigeration of the body.

17
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In which situations may teeth be the only means of identification?

Severe fire or explosion cases.

18
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Why are serial numbers on dentures useful to forensic dentists?

They allow tracing to antemortem dental records.

19
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What is used to chart missing or restored teeth?

Standard dental notation systems.

20
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Why is dental identification particularly reliable in mass disasters?

Teeth resist fire, trauma and decomposition.

21
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What is the most common anatomical site for bite marks?

Exposed skin such as arms, face or breasts.

22
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Which imaging technique can enhance faded or subtle bite marks?

Ultraviolet or infrared photography.

23
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Which material is commonly used for three-dimensional bite impressions?

Dental silicone or other casting material.

24
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What does skin elasticity cause in bite-mark interpretation?

Distortion of tooth patterns.

25
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Which component of teeth allows them to resist high temperatures?

Their high mineral (enamel/dentine) content.

26
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Which teeth most often show pink discolouration post-mortem?

Anterior teeth.

27
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Tooth wear and secondary dentine deposition help estimate what parameter?

Age.

28
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Which population shows a higher incidence of Carabelli’s cusp?

Europeans.

29
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FDI notation "11" refers to which tooth?

Upper right permanent central incisor.

30
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Bite-mark evidence is best classified as what type of courtroom evidence?

Supportive or corroborative evidence.

31
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What factor most increases the chance of successful post-mortem dental identification?

Availability of antemortem dental records.

32
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Which radiographic views are especially useful for identification?

Periapical or panoramic radiographs.

33
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What factor may limit the usefulness of radiograph comparison?

Differences in body or film positioning.

34
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What is the main cause of forensic error in bite-mark cases?

Subjectivity and lack of reproducibility.

35
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Which bite-mark feature may only become visible several hours after injury?

Bruising.

36
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Which organised team is often involved in disaster-victim dental identification?

DVI or DMORT teams.

37
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Which dental feature can help assess biological sex?

Relative crown size and jaw dimensions.

38
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How are prosthetic serial numbers traced?

Through dental laboratories or clinical records.

39
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Why do refrigerated bodies sometimes show pink teeth?

Blood is forced into dentine under cold-storage pressure.

40
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Why might forensic dentists avoid making conclusions from bite marks alone?

High error risk and court controversy.

41
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What tool helps visualise early healing in bite marks?

Infrared or ultraviolet photography.

42
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Dental charting typically includes what findings?

Caries, restorations, fractures, prosthetics.

43
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Which dental-notation system uses bracket symbols?

Palmer notation.

44
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Dental records may be used to estimate which aspect of identity besides age and sex?

Ancestry or ethnicity.

45
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Which dental structure is examined radiographically to identify root-canal work?

Root morphology and filling pattern.

46
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What can cause post-mortem damage to restorations?

Exposure to heat and trauma.

47
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What is the forensic role of secondary dentine deposition?

Helps in adult age estimation.

48
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Which forensic discipline is primarily responsible for bite-mark comparison?

Forensic odontology.

49
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Why can post-mortem charting be difficult?

Fractured or missing teeth and tissue slippage.

50
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How should dental evidence be stored after recovery?

Cleaned, dried, labelled and fully documented.

51
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List three reasons why teeth are valuable in forensic identification.

They withstand decomposition, fire and trauma; dental patterns are unique; antemortem records are commonly available.

52
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What are the typical visible features of a human bite mark on skin?

Oval/horseshoe shape, distinct incisor or canine impressions, and central bruising from suction.

53
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Outline the process of documenting a bite mark on a living victim.

Photograph with scale, swab for saliva DNA, record colour/location, take 3-D impression if required, and repeat photography over 24-48 hours.

54
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Name two systems used for charting dentition and briefly describe each.

FDI (two-digit code: quadrant + tooth number) and Palmer notation (brackets with numbers/letters per quadrant).

55
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What causes post-mortem pink coloration of teeth and when is it most often seen?

Haemoglobin diffusion into dentinal tubules; common in drowning, CO poisoning and refrigeration.

56
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Give two factors that may distort a bite mark.

Elasticity/curvature of skin and victim movement during biting.

57
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List the investigative steps for a bite mark on a deceased body.

Scaled photographs, UV/IR imaging if faint, saliva swab, 3-D impression, and detailed recording of injury characteristics.

58
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State three kinds of information that can be obtained from teeth when no dental records are available.

Age estimation, sex estimation and ancestry indicators; restorations suggest socioeconomic status.

59
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Summarise how a forensic odontologist matches a bite mark to a suspect.

Take dental impressions, prepare overlays or digital images, measure tooth widths/spacing, and compare with the injury pattern.

60
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Provide two reasons bite-mark evidence is controversial.

Skin distortion lowers reproducibility and past wrongful convictions due to misinterpretation.

61
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Name two techniques that enhance visualisation of subtle bite marks.

Ultraviolet photography and infrared imaging.

62
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List four features compared between antemortem and post-mortem dental records.

Number/position of teeth, restorations, root-canal shape, prosthetics or anomalies.

63
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How can ethnicity be inferred from dental traits?

Shovel-shaped incisors in Asians, Carabelli’s cusp in Europeans, and population-specific molar patterns.

64
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Explain how dental wear helps with adult age estimation.

Degree of enamel wear, secondary dentine deposition and root transparency increase with age.

65
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Describe two ways dental records assist in mass-disaster victim identification.

Teeth survive conditions that destroy soft tissue, and charts/radiographs allow rapid positive matches.

66
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What constitutes a ‘positive identification’ in forensic dentistry?

A unique, inconsistency-free match between post-mortem findings and antemortem records.

67
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How is DNA collected from a bite-mark injury?

By swabbing the site for saliva before any cleaning.

68
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Give three limitations of forensic dental radiographs.

Heat-damaged restorations, post-mortem alignment differences and absence of matching antemortem films.

69
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What can extensive dental restorations reveal about a decedent?

Their prior access to dental care and socioeconomic background.

70
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List three scenarios where teeth may be the only means of identification.

Fires, mass disasters and advanced decomposition or skeletonisation.

71
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What is an overlay transparency in bite-mark analysis?

A traced or printed representation of a suspect’s dentition used for comparison with the bite mark.

72
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Briefly describe the Universal Numbering System.

Permanent teeth numbered 1–32, starting at the upper right third molar and moving clockwise.

73
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State three dental features that are especially useful in comparative radiographs.

Unique root-canal shape, crown size and restoration configuration.

74
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Name two prosthetic dental identifiers that assist in identification.

Dentures engraved with serial numbers and dental implants with manufacturer codes.

75
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List four factors that affect the accuracy of bite-mark comparison.

Skin elasticity, time since injury, victim or assailant movement, and quality of documentation.

76
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Give three key elements recorded during dental charting.

Missing teeth, presence of caries and details of restorations/prostheses.

77
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Identify three circumstances most commonly associated with pink teeth findings.

Drowning, carbon-monoxide poisoning and refrigerated storage of the body.

78
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How is dental evidence preserved after autopsy?

Gently cleaned, photographed, charted, stored dry and labelled with chain-of-custody documentation.

79
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What are the four recognised levels of dental identification?

Positive, probable, possible and insufficient evidence.

80
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Why must bite-mark evidence be collected promptly?

Marks can fade or distort and bruising evolves over several hours.

81
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Discuss the role of forensic odontology in post-mortem identification.

Teeth survive harsh conditions; dentists compare post-mortem patterns with antemortem records (charts, X-rays, prosthetics) to achieve positive identification, vital in fires, explosions and mass disasters.

82
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Explain the scientific and medico-legal challenges in bite-mark analysis.

Skin distortion, lack of standard criteria, subjective interpretation and documented wrongful convictions require corroborating evidence such as saliva DNA.

83
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Describe the complete procedure for investigating a bite mark.

Scaled photography, saliva swabbing, 3-D impression, UV/IR enhancement, time-sequenced photos and odontologist comparison.

84
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How are a suspect’s teeth compared to a bite-mark injury?

Dental casts are made, overlays or digital superimpositions produced, and tooth widths/rotations assessed; DNA evidence can support findings.

85
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Explain how teeth are used to identify victims in mass disasters.

Antemortem records are compared with resilient dental remains; radiographs reveal restorations and prosthetics; serial numbers on dentures aid rapid, cost-effective identification.

86
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Describe how dental traits help construct a biological profile.

Age (eruption or wear), sex (tooth size/jaw shape), ancestry (morphological traits) and socioeconomic cues from restorations contribute to profiling.

87
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Summarise the forensic significance of pink teeth.

Indicates post-mortem haemoglobin diffusion, often linked to drowning, CO poisoning or refrigeration; mainly observed in anterior teeth and offers contextual clues.

88
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Outline three common dental-notation systems and their forensic application.

FDI (quadrant + tooth number), Palmer (brackets + numbers/letters) and Universal (1–32); all support precise post-mortem charting and comparison.

89
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How are human bite marks distinguished from other patterned injuries?

Characteristic oval shape, human arch width, incisor/canine impressions and central suction bruising, unlike animal or tool marks; saliva DNA confirms human origin.

90
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Detail key documentation steps for a bite mark on a deceased individual.

Immediate scaled photos, UV/IR imaging, saliva swab, silicone impression if 3-D and notation of size, colour and tissue condition.

91
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How is age estimated from teeth in children versus adults?

Children: eruption and calcification timelines; Adults: wear, secondary dentine and root transparency.

92
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Describe how dental radiographs assist in identification.

Show unique internal features like root-canal shapes and restoration depths; post-mortem films matched with antemortem images for reliable identification.

93
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List four limitations of using bite-mark evidence in court.

Skin distortion, inter-expert variability, lack of validation studies and past wrongful convictions.

94
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Explain how serial numbers on dental prosthetics aid identification.

Engraved codes trace dentures or implants to labs/patient records, enabling rapid positive identification.

95
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Discuss how forensic odontologists contribute during mass-disaster operations.

They form DVI teams, collect/compare dental records, and provide quick, accurate identifications when other methods fail.

96
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Name four challenges encountered during post-mortem dental examination.

Fractured or missing teeth, soft-tissue desiccation, heat-damaged restorations and absent dental records.

97
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How is ancestry estimated using dental morphology?

Population-specific features (e.g., shovel incisors, Carabelli cusp, molar cusp patterns) combined with skeletal indicators.

98
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List five steps for preserving dental evidence post-mortem.

Gently clean, photograph, take impressions/X-rays, label and store dry in a cool area with full documentation.

99
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What is the role of forensic odontologists when testifying in court?

Serve as expert witnesses, present dental/bite-mark evidence, explain methods and limitations, and support multidisciplinary findings.

100
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State two major strengths and two weaknesses of dental identification.

Strengths: teeth are durable and unique; rapid, cost-effective in disasters. Weaknesses: need antemortem records; restorations can be lost or damaged.