Feb, 2015 how the flawed science of bite mark analysis has sent innocent people to prison. Two other forensic dentists, including the sitting president of the abfo, adam freeman, also testified as witnesses on behalf of kunco that recent research confirms assertions made by the national academy of sciences in 2009, that bite mark analysis is not a legitimate forensic tool and should not be used in criminal investigation. The movement of a persons jaw and tongue when he or she bites contributes to the type of mark. Many professionals, including forensic odontologists, confuse themselves and other professionals by mistakenly equating bite mark analysis with bite mark comparison, or matching, for purposes of suspect identification. Cases where dna revealed that bite mark analysis led to. The american board of forensic odontology abfo still says bite mark analysis is valid. Forensic odontology has been with us as admissible evidence in the united states since 1849 which is nearly 50 years longer than fingerprints. For lots more information about forensic dentistry and crime stuff, check out the articles and links below. Bite mark analysis an important tool in crime investigation medind. Bite marks with high evidence value that can be used in comparisons with the suspects teeth will include marks from specific teeth that record distinct traits.
An effort to standardize the analysis of bite marks has resulted in guidelines by the american board of forensic odontology. Oct 23, 2011 ted bundy bitemarks and richard milone. The associated press moved a tremendous story sunday about bite mark analysis, an odd and discredited branch of forensic dentistry that, over the past few decades, has been used to convict. Bitemark analysis and comparison forensic odontology part ii ce course on. Bite marks as evidence in criminal trials micheile mccluret introduction on june 21, 1978, in wood river, illinois, a beautiful 22year old woman was brutally murdered in the basement of her new home. It has established as an indispensable science in medicolegal matters and in the identification of the dead person.
Quack dentist puts the wrong men on death row using flawed. Bite mark evidence has been introduced in trials all over the country, and sometimes has been the smoking gun leading to a conviction. Sep 07, 2016 bitemark analysis is conducted by forensic dentists and relies on two foundational premises. How dna, bitemark research and failed cases have changed bitemark analysis october 23, 2011 by daverill1 in bitemarks, dna, identification tags. Report to the president forensic science in criminal. A press release on the lawsuit is here, and coverage by the new york law journal is here. This information is used in correlation with radiographs, antemortem prior to death and postmortem photographs. In it, the history of bite mark analysis, the psychology behind criminal bite marks, and bite mark examples are discussed and presented.
Giannelli in criminal trials, forensic dentistry typically is used in two ways. Abfo, bite mark, bitemark, bundy, dna, exoneration, forensic dental, forensic odontology, wrongful conviction 1 comment. The odontologist who aided in youngs conviction later said that the prosecution pushed him to exaggerate his results. 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. All forensic odontologists certified by the american board of forensic odontology are responsible for being familiar with the standards set forth in this document. Bitemark analysis is conducted by forensic dentists and relies on two. Bite marks as evidence evidence with available legal citation was the 1954 case of doyle v. 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. Bite mark management and analysis master of forensic odontology. In the courtroom, forensic odontology is predominantly in the form of bite mark evidence. A human bite is described as an eliptical or circular injury that records the specific characteristics of the teeth. Bite mark analysis is an imperative area of forensic odontology and considered the commonest form of dental evidence presented. A forensic odontologist was asked to investigate a possible bite mark on the victim of a sexual attack. In some criminal trials, bite mark evidence has been the only evidence on which a conviction or acquittal has been achieved.
The aba law journal is reporting that the ip has sued the federal governments national museum of health and medicine for denying it access to archival information on the history of bitemark analysis. Bite mark analysis criminal cases many times call for the examination of evidence that can tie a suspect or victim to a crime scene or to one another. Bite mark evidence used to convict pennsylvania man of. Bite mark analysis is based on the assumptions that the dental characteristics of anterior teeth involved in biting are. A lot of controversy on the topic of bite mark analysis exists internationally but its primary strength lies in excluding people as a perpetrator of a crime. These guidelines are the result of a collective effort of the participants of the bitemark workshop of the american board of forensic odontology assembled in anaheim, california, february 18th through 20th, 1984. Forensic odontology expert, dr iain pretty is professor of public health dentistry at the university of manchester, school of dentistry. Bite mark evidence used to convict pennsylvania man of rape. Aug 19, 2016 bite mark analysis includes description of bite marks, bite mark recognition, bite mark registration, evidence collection on suspects, scanning bite mark photographs, detecting and correcting photographic distortion, resizing the photograph, printing and enhancing and adding text, scanning suspects casts, overlay fabrication, comparison methods, guidelines on bite mark analysis and management. Contents introduction historical evidences scope and purpose personal identification basis of dental identification technique of identification identification in mass disaster sex differentiation dental age estimation bite mark.
Report to the president forensic science in criminal courts. Data collection methods and supplementary technologies used in forensic dental identification have undergone significant transformation. Forensic odontology forensic odontology can be a hard subject to understand, but you dont need years of training to have a good grasp on the subject. Bite mark management and analysis master of forensic. About bite mark evidence forensic odontology wrongful. The squishy science of forensic odontology got its first star turn in the 1979 florida trial of serial killer ted bundy, who was convicted and executed based in part on bite marks on victims. The accuracy of skin as a substrate for a bite mark. David were familiar with west and his revolutionary new method of analysis. Mar 21, 2019 in 2014, a year before streilings trial, and as criticism of bitemark analysis mounted, the american board of forensic odontology conducted a study in which nearly 40 forensic dentists with an.
Limitations of forensic odontology the truth about. These are very different procedures, and the failure to distinguish. Article by the innocence project identifying concerns with bite mark analysis and discussing five cases where individuals were convicted based largely on bite mark analysis, only to be proven innocent through dna years later. Forensic odontology includes identification of human remains and age estimation as well as bite mark evidence. Nov 01, 2017 forensic odontology includes identification of human remains and age estimation as well as bite mark evidence. In the field of forensic odontology, as recently as 2010, these problems still existed with bite mark analysis. Eilers is a forensic odontologist for the clark county medical examiners office, bexar county medical examiners office.
Jun 17, 20 the associated press moved a tremendous story sunday about bite mark analysis, an odd and discredited branch of forensic dentistry that, over the past few decades, has been used to convict. A novel computerassisted method of bite mark analysis for gender. It also sometimes comes into play in child custody disputes. How the flawed science of bite mark analysis has sent innocent people to prison. Methods to document human bitemark evidence bitemark, bite mark, bitemark the meaning of the terms is clear and there is no need for the abfo to endorse a particular form. Bite mark analysis is extremely complex, with many factors involved in a forensic dentists ability to determine the identity of the perpetrator. Bitemark analysis and comparison forensic odontology part ii. In 2014, a year before streilings trial, and as criticism of bitemark analysis mounted, the american board of forensic odontology conducted a study in which nearly 40 forensic dentists with an.
New forensic odontologists have too little experience in bite mark analysis. How the flawed science of bite mark analysis has sent. Methods to document human bitemark evidence 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. A resource guide to forensic dentistry dentist office. The author of over 100 articles in leading journals, dr prettys research interests include the evidence base supporting the use of bitemark analyses in court proceedings. Bitemark analysis bitemark analysis is just one part of the forensic puzzle. Bite marks on human tissues can be observed in violent incidents such as sexrelated crimes, child abuse cases, and. The controversial history of bite mark analysis asda blog. Bite mark, forensic, salivary dna, dentition, suspect introduction. Although forensic odontology is extremely useful in the identification of unidentified human remains, the nas report committee on identifying the needs of the forensic sciences community, 2009 discussed certain aspects of forensic odontology and in particular severely criticized bitemark identification. It is important to have individual characteristics in the bite mark.
Bite mark analysis is most commonly used in criminal rape, murder and child abuse cases. Bite mark analysis and comparison is a complicated matter. Recently, the scientific foundation of forensic odontology, and especially bite mark comparison, has been called into question. Forensic odontology information guide forensic science. Forensic science has been defined as the application of scientific or technical practices to the recognition, collection, analysis, and interpretation of evidence for criminal and civil law or regulatory issues. There is no requirement to seek second or third opinions in bite mark cases. Bite mark science has come under fire in the past after some cases in which dna evidence later proved people were wrongly convicted based on bite mark evidence. Bitemark analysis is conducted by forensic dentists and relies on two foundational premises. Evolving trends have been observed in the conventional methods used such as dental record maintenance, dental imaging techniques, bite mark analysis, dna analysis using oral tissues, cheiloscopy, and rugoscopy. Forensic odontology is the application of dental science to legal investigations, primarily involving the identification of the offender by comparing dental records to a bite mark left on the victim or at the scene, or identification of human remains based on dental records. After learning about forensic odontology, students will take casts of their own teeth in wax and identify their teeth. These physical traces frequently include blood and other bodily fluids, hair, fibers, and even bite. Bitemark science has come under fire in the past after some cases in which dna evidence later proved people were wrongly convicted based on bitemark evidence. Netflix series the innocence files has us wondering if.
Eilers is also involved with continued research in bite mark analysis. Using the same digital imaging techniques as used for bite mark analysis, the forensic odontologist can make similar comparisons between offensive weapons and injuries seen on victims. Current trends in forensic odontology pubmed central pmc. The american board of forensic odontology has an expert locator service. Forensicdentistryonline trusted odontology for over 15 years. Now some critics feel that bitemark analysis should be used only to eliminate, not to identify, a suspect. Forensic odontology forensic odontology is the application of dental science to legal investigations, primarily involving the identification of the offender by comparing dental records to a bite mark left on the victim or at the scene, or identification of human remains based on dental records. It can be used in mass disaster events to help identify the dead. May 21, 2018 american board of forensic odontology abfocertified bite mark analysts michael n. The american board of forensic odontologists, which certifies dentists as experts in identifying remains based on teeth, analyzing bite marks and comparing them to potential suspects teeth, changed its guidelines in march to say that its members could no longer conclude a bite mark came from a certain individual or probably came from that.
Bitemark analysis is extremely complex, with many factors involved in a forensic dentists ability to determine the identity of the perpetrator. Council concludes bitemark analysis is junk the intercept. Developments over the past two decadesincluding the exoneration of defendants who had been wrongfully convicted based. Forensic odontology is an evolving science and has a greater scope of development. Bitemark analysis debunked as pseudoscience criminal. A resource guide to forensic dentistry the dental center. Sep 04, 2012 in the field of forensic odontology, as recently as 2010, these problems still existed with bite mark analysis. The standard techniques for examining bite marks are.
Limitations of forensic odontology the truth about forensic. The odontologist who aided in youngs conviction later said that the prosecution pushed him to. The movement of a persons jaw and tongue when he or she bites contributes to the type of mark that is left. The britishassociation for forensicodontology bafo notes that forensic odontology is a branch of forensic medicine which in the interests of justice deals with the proper examination, handling and presentation of dental evidence in a. There is a significant amount of information which can be derived solely from this discipline, including age mostly in children, person identification, signs of violence, etc. Abfo bitemark methodology standards and guid elin s. The work of a forensic odontologist is to identify human remains through dental records, estimate age of both living and deceased persons, analysis of bite marks on victims and other substances such as foodstuffs and presentation of bite mark evidence in. Bite mark evidence, an aspect of forensic odontology, is the process by which. Use of bite mark evidence in the courtroom can be traced back to 1692, but it was wasnt until 1984 that the american board of forensic odontology established guidelines for bite mark analysis. Contents introduction historical evidences scope and purpose personal identification basis of dental identification technique of identification identification in mass disaster sex differentiation dental age estimation bite mark analysis lip prints ameloglyphics. Forensic dentist training as well as proper education of the jury are also factors. Forensic odontology an overview sciencedirect topics. Bite mark analysis and comparison using imageperception technology j forensic odontostomatol 2006. An initial analysis of the bite mark found a match between youngs teeth and the bite mark, but a more recent analysis, commissioned by the defense, contradicted this finding.
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. Don simley, a forensic odontologist in madison who presented hyzer with his award friday, said bitemark analysis has proven at times to be an ineffective way to identify criminals. Abfo bitemark methodology standards and guid elin s standards. Don simley, a forensic odontologist in madison who presented hyzer with his award friday, said bite mark analysis has proven at times to be an ineffective way to identify criminals. A third major field of work of forensic odontologists is bite mark analysis which is mostly related to criminal cases like murder, sexual assault and child abuse and elderly neglect.