Forensic Lab SCIENCE Teeth

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Unit 2 – Lab 2.10/2.11 – Human Teeth

The “Teeth Lab” is our next lab in the course. In the lab, you are using dental evidence from an arson scene, along with dental records for possible victims, to try to identify the 3 skulls found at the arson. In order to conduct this lab, you will need to print out the lab instructions, which are found on page 3 of lesson 2.10. The instructions have all of the resources you need. Make sure to follow the directions carefully as you complete the dental charts using the dental sketches from the scene. If you need a reminder on how the teeth are arranged (right vs. left, numbering, etc.) in the dental sketches, look back at page 10 of lesson 2.09. Keep careful notes as you work and complete all questions on page 5 of the lab instructions.

Part B of the lab has you work to try to identify a bite mark on the suspect. While the lab instructs you to make your own bite patterns of the victims using a transparency or tracing paper, you can actually take each dental sketch (on page 2 of the lab) and compare it to the bite mark (page 7 of the lab) by overlapping the sheets and holding the pages up to the light. Look to see if the size of the bite from the dental sketches matches the bite mark. You should also do a similar comparison using the bite mark drawings from the dog. You want to get a general idea if the bite on the suspect is from a human or the dog, and to see which bite matches best with the size of the bite mark on the suspect.

The local medical examiner has called you, a forensic odontologist, to consult on the case.

The charred remains of three victims have been found. The skulls are among the evidence that investigators have collected.

The suspect who has been arrested in connection with the crime has a bite mark on his arm. He says that his dog, a German shepherd, bit him. The ME has asked you to do the following:

  • Use dental records to determine which skull belongs to which victim.
  • Determine whether the bite mark on the suspect’s arm is canine or human, and if it is human, determine if it matches one of the victims.

Print the Laboratory Instructions and the Laboratory Guidelines, and gather any other materials needed to complete the lab.

You will be the forensic odontologist.

The gruesome discovery of the charred, skeletonized remains of a group of people, possibly a family, has caused a medical examiner to seek your advice. You are told that three people were killed and their bodies burned in a fire. The police have a suspect in custody. The suspect has a wound, an unusual bite mark.

By using your knowledge of forensic odontology, you must see if the teeth and jaws of each skull can be matched with three members of a family who have been tentatively identified as the victims. You must also analyze the bite mark on the suspect to determine if he is telling the truth.