Global Journal of Medicine

and Public Health

www.gjmedph.org

Role of Bitemark Analysis in Identification of a Person

Anupama Mahajan1, Arvinder Pal Singh Batra2, B.S. Khurana3,
Seema4, Jeewandeep Kaur5
1,,4
Department of Anatomy, SGRDIMSR. Amritsa ,2Department of Anatomy, BPSGMCW, Sonepat,
3
Department of Forensic Medicine, SGRDIMSR, Amritsar, 5Department of Physiology, BPSGMCW, Sonepat

ABSTRACT
Background: Forensic dentistry is the examination and evaluation of dental evidence which will be then presented
in the interest of justice. Today Forensic dentistry is a essential part of Forensic science. Like fingerprints and DNA,
bite marks are unique to an individual. There characteristics in the dental structure such as distance and angles
between teeth, missing teeth, fillings and dental work. This type of impression evidence can be left in the skin of a
victim and also can be in food, chewing gum and other miscellaneous items such as pens and pencils. The advent of
DNA and its recovery from bite marks has offered an objective method of bite mark analysis.

Keywords: Bite marks, analysis, identification, casts

Corresponding Author: Anupama Mahajan, C-2267, Ranjit Avenue, Amritsar,India

E-mail:- [email protected], Contact No. 98157-33321
Funding: None Conflict of interest: None Declared
produce overlays from a suspect’s dentition: hand
Introduction tracing from dental study casts,6 hand-tracing from
Identification of age and sex from teeth is the major wax impressions,7 hand-tracing from
subject for study and research in the field of forensic xerographicimages,8 the radio opaque wax
odontology. Forensic odontology is one of the most impression method9and the computer-based
unexplored and intriguing branch of forensic method. Sweet and Bowers6studied the accuracy of
10
medicine. For many years its important was not these bite mark overlay production methods and
recognised, as very few people were aware of the concluded that the computer-generated overlays
forensic aspect of odontology. Major dental clues, provided the most accurate and reproducible
once upon a time neglected are now increasingly exemplars.
used to solve crimes.
It has been estimated by use of computer that there
Sorup1 was the first to publish an analysis of bite were over two billion possibilities in the charting of
marks. Bite marks can be found in food, flesh, adult dentition.11,12 This would therefore rule out the
cigars, pipes and musical instruments2. Bite marks in possibility of two adults having exactly the identical
themselves provide a kind of dental identification. It dentition.13And hence the theory of uniqueness is a
is now realized that bite marks have come to provide strong point used in the analysis of bite marks to
detail of a kind comparable with the infinitesimal convince the court of law that a dentition in one
detail that was previously thought likely to be individual is different from other human
3
provided only by finger prints. dentition.14This uniqueness is displaced vividly in a
bite mark that is well executed1. Forensic aspects of
The process of comparing bite marks with a suspect’s
bite mark analysis can be applied in case of teeth
dentition includes analysis and measurement of size,
4 marks left in food stuffs or in the criminal when the
shape and position of the individual teeth. Most
victim bites the assailant in self defence or on the
comparison methods involve the fabrication of
5 victim found in cases of sexual offences like rape.
overlays. There are a number of different ways to

GJMEDPH, Vol 1(1) Jan-Feb 2012 Page 56

In all cases of bite marks left in food stuffs or in Measurements of maximal opening and any
human tissue, taking photograph is to be deviations on opening or closing should be
recommended. Place a scale beside the bite mark and made.
make a note of distance at which photograph was 4) Intra-oral examination – Salivary swabs
taken. UV light photographs can see the damage should be taken. The tongue should be
deeper into the tissue and can capture the spacing, examined to assess size and function. The
size and shape of teeth. A blood group determination periodontal status should be noted with
is possible in bite marks in human tissue as well as in particular reference to mobility. Prepare a
food stuffs on account of saliva left in bite mark. The dental chart if possible.
next step is to make casts of bite marks and it is 5) Impressions – Take two impressions of each
important to make two casts not only one. The first of arch using material that meet the American
these two casts is meant to be untouched evidence to Dental Association specifications. The
be shown later in court. A fingerprint can be lifted occlusal relationship should be recorded.
and compared to the fingerprint obtained from a 6) Sample bites – Whenever possible, sample
suspect to determine a match. In this way a bite mark bites should be made into an appropriate
can be compared to a set of teeth to determine a material, simulating the type of bite under
match if they left the mark. Because of the study.
uniqueness of teeth size and shape, marks left behind 7) Study casts – Casts should be prepared using
from a bite can be used for identification purposes. Type II stone. Additional casts should be
made by duplicating the master casts.
Forensic aspect of bitemarks analysis can be applied These guidelines should be obeyed in routine case
in the following circumstances:- work.

1) Teethmarks left in the food stuffs.2) Teethmarks Methods

on the criminal: When the victim bites the assailant in Subjects, made a bite on a sample of bite registration
self defence.3) Teethmarks on the victim: Found in wax sheet (Size 10x6x0.5cms).Levine4 suggested the
cases of assault and murder and were usually caused use of Aluwax. Bites are made with an incisive action
during or after sexual act. It might be due to: to get impression of the incisal edges and a portion of
the labial and lingual surfaces of upper and lower
a) Self infliction by the victim. b) The criminal
incisors and canines. Subjects are told to bite on
attacking the victim usually during sexual offences
apple and they were told to bite on their own flexor
like rape, and are found mostly on the breast, neck or
surface of forearm.
cheek.
Impressions of upper and lower arch are taken and
Guidelines for the analysis of bite marks
plaster cast made. Only central and canine are
Guidelines for the analysis of bite marks are
preserved and the rest were trimmed. Each model and
important for the investigation and should be
bitemarks on bite registration wax, apple and skin is
respected. To standardize the analysis of bite marks
photographed with scale besides using SLR camera
the American Board of Forensic Odontostomatology
with extension tube for close up photography. Then
(ABFO)15 established the following guidelines in
each photograph is enlarged keeping the scale so as
1986:
to get life size photography while printing. And 1:1
1) History – Obtain a thorough history of any photography is done for bitemarks and teeth model.
dental treatment carried out after the
Then by two methods- odontometeric triangle
suspected date of the bite mark.
(Objective) method and by superimposition
2) Photography – Extra-oral photo-graphs
(Subjective) method the comparison of bitemarks and
including full face and profile views, intra-
teeth model is done.
orals should include frontal views, two
lateral views and an occlusal view of each Two senior persons gave the grading for
arch. Often it’s useful to include a superimposition (Subjective) method. The grades
photograph of maximal mouth opening. If given are:-
inanimate materials, such as foodstuffs, are
used for test bites the results should be Grade A---- Fully superimposition
preserved photographically.
3) Extra-oral examination – Record and Grade B---- Partially superimposition
observe soft tissue and hard tissue factors
that may influence biting dynamics. Grade C---- No superimposition

GJMEDPH, Vol 1(1) Jan-Feb 2012 Page 57

In odontometeric triangle method (Objective method) human bite mark is a distinguish feature, trial or
a triangle is made on the tracing of bitemarks and pattern within the bite mark and is delivered as a
teeth models by making three points-A,B,C. Points A class or an individual characteristic.13, 21
& B are plotted on the outermost convex point on the
canine teeth. Center of upper two central incisors is Although more research is needed to explore the
selected as point C. And all the three points are possibilities of image perception technology, its
joined to form a triangle ABC. Lines AB, BC, CA are possibilities to visualize more details in a bite mark
measured and angles a, b, c were calculated. This was photograph are promising. The availability of
done for both upper and lower jaw. Of teeth model additional coloring of selected areas with similar
and compared with that of bitemarks of wax, apple intensity values as well as rendering 2-D photographs
and skin statistical analysis is carried out and results as pseudo 3-D images may enable the researcher to
are obtained. analyze the image more extensively and come to a
more accurate conclusion regarding the source of the
Image perception software procedure: bite. However, bite mark analysis alone should not be
allowed to lead to a guilty verdict, but it will offer the
A photograph of a bite mark is opened with the opportunity to exclude a suspect from a crime when
image perception software, and a region of interest is the data do not correspond.
then selected. After such selection, one can add color
to different grey scale areas of the image. The References
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