The Daily Bulletin Archive

Chelsey Whitson, a forensic science graduate student at Buffalo State, will present her literature seminar, "Human Identification Methods with the Use of Dentition," at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 11, in Science Building 272. Her seminar abstract follows.

This seminar is supported by the Auxiliary Services Grant Allocation Committee, the Vice President for Student Affairs Office, and the Faculty-Student Association.

Abstract
The identification of human remains can be very difficult when the body is in an unrecognizable
state. Human teeth are one of the hardest substances in the body, making them extremely resistant to
environmental factors such as decomposition, immersion, and incineration. Human dentition has unique characteristics that can be utilized for identification of remains.

The first examination is a comparative method in which the findings of the remains are compared
with the antemortem dental records of the assumed individual. In cases where antemortem records are
not available, postmortem dental profiling is used with aims to locate the antemortem records. When
conventional methods have failed, DNA profiling is employed. Teeth represent an excellent source of DNA
material. Genomic and mitochondrial DNA can be extracted from the teeth of an unidentified individual
and compared with an antemortem DNA sample. The conclusions from these methods can be used for
mainly inclusion of the questioned individual.

Other methods for human identification are being studied for exclusion purposes. Age estimation
plays a major role in the identification of individuals. Hard dental tissues are good candidates for age
estimation because they are less destructible and can be easily examined. Cementum is a hard calcified
tissue covering the surface of the root of the tooth. It is deposited around the dentin in layers throughout a
person’s lifetime. Polarized light and stereomicroscopes can be useful tools to examine the cementum
layers (annulations) and thickness for age estimation of an individual. This process of correlating age with
cementum annulations and thickness can be very suggestive to age and aid in exclusion for the human
identification process.

References
1. Pretty, A.; Sweet, D. A Look at Forensic Dentistry—Part 1: The Role of Teeth in the Determination of Human
Identity. Brit Dent J 2001, 190.7, 359-66.
2. Sweet, D.; Hildebrand, D. Recovery of DNA from Human Teeth by Cryogenic Grinding. J Forensic Dent Sci
1998, 1199-202.
3. Kasetty, S.; Rammanohar, M.; Ragavendra, T. Dental Cementum in Age Estimation: A Polarized Light and
Stereomicroscope . J Forensic Dent Sci 2009, 1:73-6.
4. Mavrodisz, K.; Rózsa, N.; Budai, M.; Soós, A.; Pap, I.; Tarján, I. Prevalence of Accessory Tooth Cusps in
a Contemporary and Ancestral Hungarian Population. Eur J Orthod 2007, 29.2, 166-9.
5. Lipsinic, F.; Paunovich, E.; Houston, G.; Robison, S. Correlation of Age and Incremental Lines in the Cementum of Human Teeth. J Forensic Sci 1986, 31.3, 982–9.
6. Stein, T.; Corcoran, J.; Pararadicular Cementum Deposition as a Criterion for Age Estimation in Human Beings. Oral Med Oral Surg Oral Pathol 1994;77:266–70.