 |
|
Bitemark Evidence and Analysis Should Be Approached with Caution, According to UB Study
September 17, 2009BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Against the backdrop of last week's Congressional hearing into the future of forensic science, researchers from the University at Buffalo's Laboratory for Forensic Odontology Research in the School of Dental Medicine, have published a landmark paper on the controversial topic of bitemark analysis.
The Congressional hearing focused on the findings of a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report on the scientific basis of forensic disciplines. Among the pattern evidence fields (fingerprints, tool marks, etc.) that were reviewed in the NAS report, bitemark analysis received critical commentary. During the hearing, Innocence Project co-founder Peter Neufeld introduced Roy Brown, wrongfully convicted on bitemark evidence and later exonerated through DNA analysis.
In anticipation of the NAS report, the new UB study published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences challenges the commonly held belief that every bitemark can be perpetrator identified.
"Bitemark identification is not as reliable as DNA identification," explains the study's lead author Raymond G. Miller, D.D.S., UB clinical associate professor of oral diagnostic sciences.
"With DNA, the probability of an individual not matching another can be calculated," he says. "In bitemark analysis, there have been few studies that looked at how many people's teeth could have made the bite."
Miller's co-authors include UB's Peter J. Bush; Robert Dorion, D.D.S., DABFO, UB adjunct professor of oral diagnostic sciences; and Mary A. Bush, D.D.S., UB assistant professor of restorative dentistry. Dorion is the editor of the only comprehensive textbook on the subject of bitemarks in forensic science, Bitemark Evidence: A Color Atlas and Text, and is currently the odontology section representative to the board of directors of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
The current study investigated three main questions: is it possible to determine biter identity among people with similarly aligned teeth; is it possible to determine how many individuals from a larger sample might also be considered as the biter; and, if there is bite pattern distortion, is it enough to rule out a specific biter while still including a non-biter?
To answer these questions, the researchers gathered 100 stone dental models (replicas of the dentition), which were measured and divided into 10 groups based upon the misalignment patterns of the teeth. After randomly selecting one model from each of the 10 groups, the researchers impressed bitemarks on cadaver skin. After the bitemarks were created, they were then photographed and the indentations were compared to the dentitions using overlays created with photographic software.
The authors are one of the first to use a human skin model rather than animal models or non-elastic biting substrate, such as wax or Styrofoam. Current human subject restrictions limit experimentation on living subjects.
"Living bitten tissue may bleed or bruise," explains Miller. "The initial bitemark indentations rebound shortly after infliction often leaving a diffuse bruising that may be difficult to measure accurately. The indentations produced in our study represented the best conditions for measurement."
The results indicated that when dental alignments were similar, it was difficult to distinguish which set of teeth made the bites. Distortion noted in the bitemarks allowed matches even from different alignment groups. Therefore, the researchers concluded that bitemarks should be very carefully evaluated in criminal investigations where perpetrator identity is the focus of a case.
As Miller notes, "In the past 10 years, the number of court cases involving bitemark evidence that have been overturned led us to question the reasons for the erroneous bitemark identification. It's important to recognize the serious consequences of a misidentification for the accused, the victim, the families involved, the justice system and the possibility that the perpetrator is still at large."
The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. The School of Dental Medicine is one of five schools that constitute UB's Academic Health Center. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.
The University at Buffalo
"Bitemark identification is not as reliable as DNA identification," explains the study's lead author Raymond G. Miller, D.D.S., UB clinical associate professor of oral diagnostic sciences.
"With DNA, the probability of an individual not matching another can be calculated," he says. "In bitemark analysis, there have been few studies that looked at how many people's teeth could have made the bite."
Miller's co-authors include UB's Peter J. Bush; Robert Dorion, D.D.S., DABFO, UB adjunct professor of oral diagnostic sciences; and Mary A. Bush, D.D.S., UB assistant professor of restorative dentistry. Dorion is the editor of the only comprehensive textbook on the subject of bitemarks in forensic science, Bitemark Evidence: A Color Atlas and Text, and is currently the odontology section representative to the board of directors of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
The current study investigated three main questions: is it possible to determine biter identity among people with similarly aligned teeth; is it possible to determine how many individuals from a larger sample might also be considered as the biter; and, if there is bite pattern distortion, is it enough to rule out a specific biter while still including a non-biter?
To answer these questions, the researchers gathered 100 stone dental models (replicas of the dentition), which were measured and divided into 10 groups based upon the misalignment patterns of the teeth. After randomly selecting one model from each of the 10 groups, the researchers impressed bitemarks on cadaver skin. After the bitemarks were created, they were then photographed and the indentations were compared to the dentitions using overlays created with photographic software.
The authors are one of the first to use a human skin model rather than animal models or non-elastic biting substrate, such as wax or Styrofoam. Current human subject restrictions limit experimentation on living subjects.
"Living bitten tissue may bleed or bruise," explains Miller. "The initial bitemark indentations rebound shortly after infliction often leaving a diffuse bruising that may be difficult to measure accurately. The indentations produced in our study represented the best conditions for measurement."
The results indicated that when dental alignments were similar, it was difficult to distinguish which set of teeth made the bites. Distortion noted in the bitemarks allowed matches even from different alignment groups. Therefore, the researchers concluded that bitemarks should be very carefully evaluated in criminal investigations where perpetrator identity is the focus of a case.
As Miller notes, "In the past 10 years, the number of court cases involving bitemark evidence that have been overturned led us to question the reasons for the erroneous bitemark identification. It's important to recognize the serious consequences of a misidentification for the accused, the victim, the families involved, the justice system and the possibility that the perpetrator is still at large."
The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. The School of Dental Medicine is one of five schools that constitute UB's Academic Health Center. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.
The University at Buffalo
More Bitemark Current Events and Bitemark News Articles
 |
Bruises & Bitemarks Good With Grenades (Primary Contributor) |
 |
Bitemarks & Bloodstains, Pt. 1 Taken from the 2005 album Say Hello To Sunshine from the California based emo rockers. The title track is backed with the non-album 'Worms Of The Earth' & 'Bitemarks & Blodstains' (radio edit). Island. 2005. |
 |
Bitemark Evidence: A Color Atlas and Text, 2nd Edition (Forensic Science) by Robert B.J. Dorion (Editor) The first stand-alone textbook on the subject, this reference compiles the expertise and recommendations of a team of 21 eminent specialists from the disciplines of forensic odontology, DNA analysis, pathology, and jurisprudence to illustrate the many facets of bitemark recognition, diagnosis, handling, excision, lifting, transillumination, storage, preservation, transportation, analysis, and comparison. With more than 543 black and white photographs and 32 full-color pages, the book illustrates animal and human bitemarks on the living, the deceased, and on objects, incorporating sections on the history of bitemark evidence, salivary DNA, genotypic comparison of oral bacteria, and more. |
 |
ABFO No. 2 Bitemark Scale by Forensics Source Forensics Source 6-3875 ABFO No. 2 Bitemark ScaleForensics Source is the largest forensics manufacturer, supplier and innovator in the field. Our extensive line of offerings makes us the world???s premier marketplaces of supplies and equipment for professionals in forensics, crime scene investigation, law enforcement, criminal justice, and corporate securityForensics Source 6-3875 ABFO No. 2 Bitemark Scale Features:; The 1cm division lines are traced and extended across the photographic print to grid an image.; Measurements within the image are then made relative to these inscribed 1cm grid lines to compensate for any distortion resulting from non-parallelism between the film and the object planes.; Alternating black and white bars 1cm permit measurements from grossly over- and... |
 |
Bitemarks And Bloodstains Finch (Primary Contributor) |
 |
Cliches and Bitemarks (In Theory) (Primary Contributor) |
 |
Bitemark Garrin Benfield (Primary Contributor) |
|
Bitemark Sampler Vol 2 (Featuring Walin) 15 Tracks Label Sampler from Bitemark Walin - Firecracker Stranger Hey Angel What The Hell Am I Doing Here Tanya Livingstone - Wait Kit Smith - Down This Time Jhene Chanody - In The Hills Mic Kos Lov - Gay Subarine D- Where is the Woman? Firecracker Mark Davis - Tied/Tide Immaculate The American Wake - Wild Rover Nothing Ever Happens Here | |
 |
Bitemarks And Bloodstains Finch (Primary Contributor) |
|
|
Bitemarks And Bloodstains Finch (Primary Contributor) |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |