Many techniques to analyze bite mark patterns have been used in the past. Bite mark analysis article about bite mark analysis by. The second procedure, bite mark analysis, has been used for more than fifty years to establish a connection between a defendant and a crime. Report to the president forensic science in criminal. Flawed forensic techniques such as bite mark analysis, microscopic hair comparisons, arson evidence, and comparative bullet lead analysis were routinely admitted into evidence without foundational research. Of concern is that, because of the undisputed misuse of bite mark comparison, and the unfortunate, but common, belief that bite mark analysis is the same as bite mark comparison, valuable information available to the criminal justice system from bite mark analysis may be deemed inadmissible in a court of law unless experts in the field wake. Human bite mark analysis is by far the most demanding and complicated part of forensic. Bite mark analysis in foodstuffs and inanimate objects and the. In these records you will find the most recent and the most authoritative articles on the topics, people and events that are shaping the criminal. Bite mark comparison is one of the major and newer parts of this forensic discipline that has been evolving since the 1970s and has played a major role in many cases and the convictions of many criminal including the infamous ted bundy who was convicted solely on evidence of a bite mark analysis. Keith harward was convicted of the september 1982 murder of a man and the rape of his wife.
Anthony cardoza, who coauthored a 1999 study showing that bite mark analysis could be reliable under specific conditions, admitted, the best bite mark is one you can swab for dna source. According to the eyewitness account of nita neary ted had run from the sorority house with a log wrapped in cloth the weapon used to club his victims innes, 2000. Classification of bite marks bite marks can be broadly classified as nonhuman animal bite marks and those inflicted by humans. Bite marks as evidence in criminal trials pdf bite marks are a controversial issue in courts. Bitemark analysis is extremely complex, with many factors involved in a forensic dentists ability to determine the identity of the perpetrator. Use a ruler to make the measurements needed to the nearest tenth of a centimeter and record your data in the table below along with any notes regarding unique characteristics you observe in. Michael west forensic odontology bitemark evidence. Patil university, school of dentistry, navi mumbai. Forensic dentist training as well as proper education of the jury are also factors. The analysis of human bite marks is by far the most challenging and detailed part of forensic keywords.
They will then develop their own personal set of objective criteria for bite marks analysis. A bite mark is a mark created by teeth either alone or in the combination with other oral structures 2,3. How the flawed science of bite mark analysis has sent. The uniqueness of the human dentition has not been scientifically established.
Computerbased method is considered as a gold standard for bite mark analysis. Bite mark analysis is extremely complex, with many factors involved in a forensic dentists ability to determine the identity of the perpetrator. Bite mark evidence, an aspect of forensic odontology, is the process by which odontologists dentists attempt to match marks found at crime scenes with the dental impressions of suspects. Having importance in biometrics as well as in forensics the precise matching of patterns in a bite marks is a critical area of research are one of the most frequent form of human abuse and hence their analysis is the most demanding and complicated part of forensic. Bite marks can be recorded in violent crimes such as sexual offences, homicides, child abuse cases, and during sports events. The examination and analysis of bite marks is used in an attempt to scientifically link the dentition of a potential biter with a bite mark. Council report on the state of the forensic sciences, that could help ensure the validity of forensic evidence used in the nations legal system. Read more about the microbial side of forensic dentistry in this magazine article. Jan 23, 2008 courts have admitted bite mark comparison evidence in homicide, rape, and child abuse cases. The report found no evidence of an existing scientific basis for identifying an individual to the exclusion of all others. A resource guide to forensic dentistry the dental center.
Effectiveness of comparison overlays generated with. Bite marks are thus, considered as valuable alternative to fingerprinting and dna identification in forensic examinations. Bitemark evidence a curated collection of links the record what are records. Bite marks analysis is based on the principle that no two mouths are alike. Bitemark analysis is used widely in the judicial system to establish a. Consider that in 2011 10 years after kuncos conviction a judge denied his request for a new trial based on the argument that bite mark analysis is unreliable not because he was.
Human bite mark analysis is by far the most demanding and complicated part of forensic dentistry. According to pretty and turnbull, the central dogma of bite mark analysis is based on two assumptions. Although bite marks of an individual do have uniqueness due to specific characteristics and. Identification and matching of human bite marks and injuries can give a forensic scientist great value of results. It also sometimes comes into play in child custody disputes. Upper jaw distance cuspid to cuspid cuspid to cuspid 38mm 42mm bite mark. A path forward, criticized the lack of scientific support for bite mark analysis, dr. Pdf to text batch convert multiple files software please purchase personal license.
The assumption that the human dentition is unique plays an important role in this process. Jan 26, 20 bite mark analysis had shown that his teeth had created the injuries to lisa levy most likely after she was dead or near to death. Two defense experts questioned the science behind bite mark analysis and said it wasnt clear that it was a bite at all, and insisted that meaningful comparisons with peoples teeth were impossible. The aim of this paper is to give a brief overview of bite mark analysis. One possible issue facing bite mark analysis is a lack of bite mark uniqueness in any given population. Make an impression follow the directions to create a bite mark impression.
Giannelli in criminal trials, forensic dentistry typically is used in two ways. Abfo bitemark methodology standards and guid elin s standards. The academy said that such analysis could not reliably identify one individual, among all others, as the source of a bite. Bitemark analysis is used widely in the judicial system to establish a connection between the suspect and a crime. Bite mark analysis is based on the assumptions that the dental characteristics of anterior teeth involved in biting are unique amongst individuals, and this asserted uniqueness is. Moreover, some courts speak of bite mark comparison as a science. Based on the manner of causation, the bite marks can be noncriminal. Weber speculated at the time that brown spurned a sexual advance from prante, who was drinking and smoking marijuana at a friend. In concluding that more research is needed to confirm the fundamental basis for the science of bite mark comparison, the nas report summarized some of the basic problems inherent in bite mark analysis and interpretation as follows. To analyse and compare a bite mark left on human skin with a suspects dentition is a difficult procedure. Bite mark analysis is most commonly used in criminal rape, murder and child abuse cases. Analysis of bite marks plays an important role in personal identification in forensic casework. The aims and objectives of the study were to compare the accuracy of bite mark analysis from three different food substancesapple, cheese and chocolate using two techniquesthe manual docking procedure and computer assisted overlay generation technique and to compare the accuracy of the two techniques for bite mark analysis on food substances. They also concluded that examiners cannot consistently agree on whether an injury is a human bite mark and cannot identify the source of bite.
Bites from animals are rarely the object of bite mark analysis. For lots more information about forensic dentistry and crime stuff, check out the articles and links below. Bite mark analysis in forensic routine case work excli journal. However, further research on bite mark comparison is needed to enhance the reliability and accuracy of bite mark analysis. If used at all, bite mark analysis should be limited to exclusions and perhaps to. I was interested to know about the role of dental professionals in forensic team and how dental findings can serve the justice system. Although bite marks of an individual do have uniqueness.
With these criteria, they will attempt to determine if the bite mark in a photo of john waynes arm could have been made by any of the wax casts they have to compare, including a cast from the car crash victim. Distance tooth 6 to tooth 10 tooth 6 to tooth 10 44. Oct 06, 2018 in 2016, a white house science council concluded that bite mark analysis is scientifically unreliable at present and far from meeting the scientific standards for foundational validity. In these records you will find the most recent and the most authoritative articles on the topics, people and events that are shaping the criminal justice conversation.
Courts have admitted bite mark comparison evidence in homicide, rape, and child abuse cases. I have written master thesis about different methods in bitemark analysis. Bite mark analysis had shown that his teeth had created the injuries to lisa levy most likely after she was dead or near to death. Report to the president forensic science in criminal courts. The teeth of animals leave patterned injuries that appear quite different from those. These are very different procedures, and the failure to distinguish. Pdf analysis and identification of bite marks in forensic. While the upcoming report is the first time that a federal committee conclusively classifies bitemark analysis as junk science, criticisms against the. Two of those convicted in a 2001 aggravated assault case in which west testified, leigh stubbs and tami vance, are now receiving a new.
Bitemark, bite mark, bite mark the meaning of the terms is clear and there is no need for the abfo to endorse a particular form. But even within the pattern matching disciplines, the nas report singled out bite mark matching for some especially harsh criticism. Most bite mark analysis studies use porcine skin pigskin, because it is comparable to the skin of a human, and it is considered unethical to bite a human for study in the united states. In criminal trials, forensic dentistry typically is used in two ways. The forensic value of bite marks on foodstuffs depends on the nature of the substrate and the. The second procedure, bite mark analysis, has been used for more than. Bite mark analysis and comparison using imageperception technology j forensic odontostomatol 2006. Others say that its acceptable to state there is a probability that a suspect created the mark, but that its important to clarify that bite marks cant be the only thing linking the suspect to the crime. Pdf in the recent years, numbers of suspected bite mark cases examined by forensic odontologist are increasing. Bitemark, bite mark, bitemark the meaning of the terms is clear and there is no need for the abfo to endorse a particular form.
The term bite mark is used in this field knowing that the marks are the result of the tooth impression in different materials. The lack of a scientific basis for bite mark identification was stressed by the national academy of sciences in a 2009 report on forensics. Bite marks left on foodstuff at the scene of crime offer a threedimensional impression of the suspects dentition and the bite mark analysis can give useful clues about the perpetuator who caused it, leading to the implication or exclusion of the individual under investigation. The movement of a persons jaw and tongue when he or she bites contributes to the type of mark that is left. Analysis and identification of bite marks in forensic casework. View enhanced pdf access article on wiley online library html view download pdf for offline viewing. Since 2014, the marshall project has been curating some of the best criminal justice reporting from around the web. Bite mark analysis article about bite mark analysis by the. Bite site evidence general considerations the forensic odontologist is often not involved in the initial examination and collection of the bitemark evidence. Limitations to the bite mark studies include differences in properties of pigskin compared to human skin and the technique of using simulated pressures to. Forensic dentistry and microbial analysis of bite marks pdf bacteria, hidden away in the recesses of teeth, can help link a bite to the teeth that caused it. Bite mark impressions teacher information materials.
Now some critics feel that bitemark analysis should be used only to eliminate, not to identify, a suspect. Bite marks are accepted as being unique to each person since the characteristics of bite mark may be affected by the type, number, and peculiarities of the teeth, dynamics of occlusion, muscle function, individual tooth movement and temporomandibular joint dysfunction. In the present study, we found that xerographic method is more accurate and inexpensive, and can be used for preliminary screening purposes. I no longer believe in bitemark analysis, he said in a 2011 deposition obtained by the clarionledger. Accuracy of bite mark analysis from food substances. A comparative study of trends in human bite mark analysis. Bite mark analysis is perhaps the most controversial of these areas because the analysis and interpretation of bite marks is almost completely subjective and there is a dearth of empirical research examining the technique. Use a ruler to make the measurements shown and record in the table 1 along with any notes regarding unique characteristics you observe in the teeth check in with your teacher, submit your plate, and get a bite mark analysis reading part 2. Bitemark analysis indonesian journal of dentistry 2008. Use a ruler to make the measurements needed to the nearest tenth of a centimeter and record your data in the table below along with any notes regarding unique characteristics you observe in the teeth.
The lack of a scientific basis for bitemark identification was stressed by the national academy of sciences in a 2009 report on forensics. Oct 23, 2019 the aim of this paper is to give a brief overview of bite mark analysis. Following is a discussion of the difference between bite mark analysis and comparison of a bite mark to a suspects dentition for purposes of identification. The assailant, who was dressed as a sailor, bit the rape victims legs multiple times during the commission of the rape. May 21, 2018 consider that in 2011 10 years after kuncos conviction a judge denied his request for a new trial based on the argument that bite mark analysis is unreliable not because he was. Bitemark analysis is junk, white house says inverse. Pdf analysis and identification of bitemarks in forensic casework. Bite mark identification is based on the individuality of a dentition, which is used to match a bite mark to a suspect. Bite mark analysis the second procedure, bite mark analysis, has been used for more than fifty years to establish a connection between a defendant and a crime. Hundreds of cases have admitted this type of evidence, and no reported case has rejected it.
Rakhee modak 1, sandhya tamgadge 2, amit mhapuskar 1, manjula hebbale 1, n vasantha vijayarabhavan 1 1 department of oral medicine and radiology, bharati vidyapeeth deemed university dental college and hospital, pune, india 2 department of oral and maxillofacial pathology and microbiology, d. After the national academy of sciences landmark 2009 report, strengthening forensic science in the united states. By the 1980s, the technique had gained widespread judicial acceptance. Bite mark evidence has been introduced in trials all over the country, and sometimes has been the smoking gun leading to a conviction. Abfo bitemark methodology standards and guid elin s.
286 615 702 548 1386 40 497 510 706 1311 1591 366 1367 307 479 1255 1281 1127 438 1267 1268 589 1171 1404 40 64 1523 72 872 645 1349 128 741 1046 240 903 1307 540 1159 1132 433 525 434 1406 420 1094 914 622 239