How to do identify single cases according to the quality assurance from IOFOS. The positive identification of an unidentified body by dental parameters: a case of homicide.

The positive identification of skeletal by individual dental parameters is one of the objectives of the criminal investigation. The intervention of Forensic Dentistry in some circumstances may represent the only way to obtaining a positive identification of an unidentified bodies. The teeth constitute a scientific method in forensic identification, principally due to the great resistance to the agents who provoke the destruction of the soft tissues in the corpses (putrefaction, traumatic, physical and chemical agents) and to the high morphological variability of the human teeth. The human identification in Forensic Dentistry is made by two ways: comparative and reconstructive. The identification allows to determine several parameters of forensic interest: specimen, population affinity, sex, age, stature and individualization's factors. The Forensic Dentistry is one of the most important fields in individual identification, because teeth have less variability in the chronology of events in terms of the reconstructive way. On the other side, in terms of the comparative way, this area is also important, because of the individualization's factors: positive identification in individual cases and in mass disasters. In this forensic case report, a homicide case, the objective of the medico-legal investigation was a positive identification of the unidentified corpse found one year after the crime, July 2010. The Portuguese Criminal Police of Lisbon, Homicide Group, requested to South Branch of the Portuguese National Institute of Forensic Medicine, a forensic examination by a Forensic Odontologist for dental positive identification. The objectives were: 1) post mortem reconstruction of the dental status of the victim; 2) obtain the ante mortem information of the presumable victims; 3) comparison of the post mortem information with the ante mortem information, for a positive identification of the presumable homicide victim. Materials and methods: in this field of dental investigation, the guidelines of the International Organization of Forensic Odontology were used for reconstruction of the post mortem dental profile, to register ante mortem information of the presumable victims and to compared for individualized dental factors, by using Interpol DVI Forms for Individual Case, post mortem and ante mortem forms F1 and F2. Results: the unidentified victim of homicide was positive identified where it was established the identity by more than 12 individual dental characteristics. Conclusion: the Forensic Dentistry is a very important and simple field for individual identification of unidentified corpses for application of the criminal law. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

Citation

Cristiana Palmela Pereira, Jorge Costa Santos. How to do identify single cases according to the quality assurance from IOFOS. The positive identification of an unidentified body by dental parameters: a case of homicide. Journal of forensic and legal medicine. 2013 Apr;20(3):169-73

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PMID: 23472797

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