Course Introduction

MODULE 1 – FORENSIC ODONTOLOGY

Forensic odontology is the application of dental science to legal investigations, which involves the identification of the criminal by comparing its dental records with the bite mark left at the scene of crime or on the victim. This module has given a brief overview to the Forensic Odontology which majorly covers its various aspects like historical perspective, career, scope, and role of forensic odontologist, qualification required to become a forensic dentist, and medico-legal significance.

MODULE 2 – HUMAN TOOTH IDENTIFICATION

This module provides information about history, purpose, principles, and different aspects of human tooth identification. Basically there are two forms of dental identification i.e. comparative dental identification and reconstructive dental identification. Human dental identification comprising of three steps i.e. postmortem dental identification, ante-mortem dental identification, and comparison of postmortem and ante-mortem dental records. Whereas in reconstructive dental identification, forensic odontologist attempts to elicit the population affinity or race, sex, age, and occupation of the deceased. This module also covers the topic of DNA profiling, identification through palatal rugae, medical conditions and treatment, habits and addiction, and occupational hazards.

MODULE 3 – AGE ESTIMATION

Age is known as an important factor for the determination of a person’s identity. This is the identification process that comes under the sub-discipline of forensic science and mainly essential when the identity of the deceased is unknown. This module also encompasses the principles of age estimation using dentition, need of age estimation, and chronological age estimation. The establishment of chronological age is considered an important topic for most of the society, social benefits, marriage, and employment. The module also covers the topic dentition as an age indicator, morphological methods for the assessment of age in adults, and age-related changes in teeth.

MODULE 4 – FORENSIC ODONTOLOGY IN MASS DISASTERS AND ITS MANAGEMENT

Mass disasters occur in a sudden and unforeseen fashion and they generally range from natural to man-made disasters, finite, ongoing, open and closed ones. DVI helps in managing the scene of catastrophe in an organized and sequential way. The module encompasses introduction, history, types of mass disasters, and disaster scene management including the organization, duties, and functions of various dental teams. The module will also enrich the knowledge of students about Disaster Victim Identification (DVI).

MODULE 5 – BITE MARKS

This particular module has explicitly dealt with the introduction of the Bite marks including the history, nature, and the mechanism of bite mark. The module also covers the nomenclature, classification on different basis, impression, and study casts. This module also describes the appearance and factors affecting Bite marks Injuries also the significance of bite marks as physical, biological, and psychological evidence.

MODULE 6 – BITE MARK ANALYSIS

This particular module explains about the introduction and history of the bite mark analysis. The different steps involved in bite mark investigation are also discussed here. The analysis of the bite mark which is discussed in this module is used for finding the victims and the suspect from the starting of the history recorded. The analysis includes the examination and comparison of the bite mark evidence. Significance and limitations of the bite mark evidence are also explained here, which enrich the student’s knowledge.

MODULE 7 – ROLE OF DENTISTRY IN DETECTING AND PREVENTING CHILD ABUSE

In this module, the occurrence of child abuse and neglect worldwide has been discussed, as well as the importance of the dental professionals in recognizing and reporting the abuse. Child abuse is a complex problem, therefore the major aim of all the dental professional is to understand the clinical symptoms of different types of child abuse such as physical, sexual, emotional and dental neglect and do the needful for legal consideration by documenting the injuries and reporting to the child protective services. The module also encompasses the appropriate intervention, role of dentist, documentation, reporting suspicious, and Prevent Abuse and Neglect through Dental Awareness (P.A.N.D.A).

MODULE 8 – LEGAL ISSUES CONCERNING BITE MARK EVIDENCE

Forensic odontologist plays an important role in criminal and civil both cases by giving opinion regarding dental identification of the deceased, identification of suspect’s dentition from tooth mark within a pattern injury related to human abuses and identification of victims in mass disasters. The main objective of the forensic odontologist is to provide witness testimony in the court of law in criminal cases for identifying the deceased. Present module gives the information regarding the legal factors of evidence collection and its use in court, fourth amendment: arrest, search and seizure, admissibility of expert evidence based on relevancy and reliability, national academy of science (2009) review of bite mark evidence, types of dental testimony by dentists. The module also covers the information about who can testify as an expert on bite mark evidence, court admissibility of bite mark opinion, scientific limitation of bite mark testimony, and wrongful bite marks testimony that were overturned by DNA.

MODULE 1 – FORENSIC ODONTOLOGY

Forensic odontology is the application of dental science to legal investigations, which involves the identification of the criminal by comparing its dental records with the bite mark left at the scene of crime or on the victim. This module has given a brief overview to the Forensic Odontology which majorly covers its various aspects like historical perspective, career, scope and role of forensic odontologist, qualification required to become a forensic dentist and medico-legal significance.

MODULE 2 – HUMAN TOOTH DEVELOPMENT

This module provide the information about the development of human tooth from its initial level, endodontic anatomy of tooth, its types and function, chronological pattern of the development of human dentition, process of eruption and shedding (pattern, mechanism and clinical consideration) of deciduous & permanent teeth. This also covers different forces effecting sequence of eruption, notation system (universal, Zsigmondy and Federation Dentaire Internationale) applied and dental anomalies encountered in dental.

MODULE 3 – DECIDUOUS AND PERMANENT TEETH

Humans mainly have two types of teeth in their lifetime one is primary or deciduous dentition (erupts in an infant) while another is permanent or secondary dentition (erupts after the shedding of the milk/deciduous teeth). Therefore this module covers the general description, chronological development and significance of deciduous and permanent teeth. Module also provide information about mixed dentition and the significant point of difference between the deciduous and permanent dentition.

MODULE 4 – OCCLUSION

Occlusion is the phenomena of natural contacting between the maxillary teeth to the mandibular teeth. A detailed study of occlusion as well as different aspects related to the study of occlusal surface covered in this module. Therefore this module provide detailed information about the topics-development of occlusion, factors affecting occlusion, cups, fossa and marginal ridge relations, lateral, protrusive and retrusive movements, biomechanics of chewing function, malocclusion and clinical significance of normal occlusion.

MODULE 5 – DENTAL ANOMALIES

Any changes present due positioning, shape, size, number, appearance, structure, color, etc. or in any other feature of teeth will referred to as dental anomaly. These alterations in the tooth are found prevalently in the maxillary region than the mandibular region and the also the chances of occurrence of these anomalies are more in the permanent dentition. So, this module provide the detailed information of development anomalies present in teeth due to its size, number, shape, structure, color and in other structures like jaws, gingiva, tongue.

MODULE 6 – HUMAN TOOTH IDENTIFICATION

This module provides the information of about history, purpose, principles and different aspects of human tooth identification. Basically there are two forms of dental identification i.e. comparative dental identification and reconstructive dental identification. Human dental identification comprising of three steps i.e. postmortem dental identification, ante mortem dental identification and comparison of postmortem and antemortem dental records. Whereas in reconstructive dental identification, forensic odontologist attempts to elicit the population affinity or race, sex, age, and occupation of the deceased. This module also covers the topic of DNA profiling, identification through palatal rugae, medical conditions and treatment, habits and addiction and occupational hazards.

MODULE 7 – AGE ESTIMATION

Age is known as the important factors for the determination of a person’s identity. This is the identification process that comes under the sub discipline of forensic science and mainly essential when the identity of the deceased is unknown. This module also encompasses with the principles of age estimation using dentition, need of age estimation, and chronological age estimation. The establishment of chronological age is considered as an important topic for most of the society, social benefits, marriage and employments. The module also covers the topic dentition as an age indicator, morphological methods for the assessment of age in adults and age related changes in teeth.

MODULE 8 – FORENSIC ODONTOLOGY IN MASS DISASTERS AND ITS MANAGEMENT

Mass disasters occurs in a sudden and unforeseen fashion and they generally ranges from natural to man-made disasters, finite, ongoing, open and closed ones. DVI helps in managing the scene of catastrophe in an organized and sequential way. The module encompasses introduction, history, types of mass disasters and disaster scene management including the organization, duties and functions of various dental teams. The module will also enrich the knowledge of student about Disaster Victim Identification (DVI).

MODULE 9 – BITE MARKS

This particular module has explicitly dealt with the introduction of the Bite marks including the history, nature and the mechanism of bite mark. The module also covers the nomenclature, classification on different basis, impression and study casts. This module also describes the appearance and factors affecting Bite marks Injuries also the significance of bite marks as a physical, biological and Psychological evidence.

MODULE 10 – BITE MARK ANALYSIS

This particular module explains about the introduction and history of the bite mark analysis. The different steps involved in bite mark investigation are also discussed here. The analysis of the bite mark which is discussed in this module is used for finding the victims and the suspect from the starting of the history recorded. The analysis include the examination and comparison of the bite mark evidence. Significance and limitations of the bite mark evidence are also explained here, which enrich the student’s knowledge.

MODULE 11 – ROLE OF DENTISTRY IN DETECTING AND PREVENTING CHILD ABUSE

In this module, occurrence of child abuse and neglect in worldwide has been discussed, as well as the importance of the dental professionals in recognizing and reporting the abuse. Child abuse is a complex problem, therefore the major aim of all the dental professional is to understand the clinical symptoms of different types of child abuse such as physical, sexual, emotional and dental neglect and needful for legal consideration by documenting the injuries and reporting to the child protective services. The module also encompasses the appropriate intervention, role of dentist, documentation, reporting suspicious and Prevent Abuse and Neglect through Dental Awareness (P.A.N.D.A).

MODULE 12 – LEGAL ISSUES CONCERNING BITE MARK EVIDENCE

Forensic odontologist plays an important role in criminal and civil both cases by giving opinion regarding dental identification of the deceased, identification of suspect’s dentition from tooth mark within a pattern injury related to human abuses and identification of victims in mass disasters. The main objective of the forensic odontologist is to provide witness testimony in the court of law in criminal cases for identifying the deceased. Present module gives the information regarding the legal factors of evidence collection and its use in court, fourth amendment: arrest, search and seizure, admissibility of expert evidence based on relevancy and reliability, national academy of science (2009) review of bite mark evidence, types of dental testimony by dentists. The module also covers the information about who can testify as an expert on bite mark evidence, court admissibility of bite mark opinion, scientific limitation of bite mark testimony, and wrongful bite marks testimony that were overturned by DNA.

Learners will be acquainted with comprehensive requirements and the techniques employed to prove the suspect guilty before the court of law as to ensure an actual verdict in favor of the victim. This course would groom the students in a way, that they will be able to present themselves as an Expert Witness before the court, equipped with ample skills and knowledge of the subject.

As a Forensic Odontologist, one is asked to investigate and analyse the case of mass, disaster, sexual assault, and other cases involving bite marks or any evidence related to dentition. The Expert identifies the individual in some cases and opine for the same. 

As an Expert, learners will be able to grab the opportunities as Forensic Odontologist at various private hospitals, labs and can be appointed as a Faculty in Various related educational institutions. They can also be hired in Central and State Forensic Labs. 

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