Forensic genetics

Abstract

Forensic science corresponds to the employment of science to the law or legal matters. One of the major concerns of legal system is to deduce the recognition of an item or individual, involved in crime for which forensic expert plays a pivotal role. Forensic odontology, a budding branch in dentistry, involves the application of dentistry to the legal system. The dental characteristics are considered as one of the primary characteristics of identification as per Interpol DVI guidelines. Thus, establishing the identity of unknown human remains through dental features is considered as one of the core domains of forensic odontology. However, its reliability and its acceptability in the court of law are only secondary to the application of DNA technologies. Also, the acceptability of bite-mark analysis and its evidentiary role is debatable. However, the bite marks may also be a source of salivary DNA, to establish the linking of the perpetrator to the victim. The recent advancements in the DNA technologies and the use of teeth and saliva as sources of DNA are the added advantages in the application of DNA as person identifiers especially in badly mutilated, decomposed and charred bodies and in linking the perpetrator to the crime. With this background, we present here a review on the application of forensic genetics from a forensic odontology point of view.

Maintenance of dental records and awareness of forensic odontology among pakistani dentists: a mixed-method study with implications for dental data repository

“…Contrarily, Malik et al (2022) reported that using biochemical or genetic records for age estimation was gaining acceptance among professionals, conflicting with our survey findings where the participants expressed difficulties using these records [ 38 ]. This discrepancy may be due to varying levels of access to and proficiency with advanced biochemical and genetic techniques among professionals.…”

“…Alterations due to toothburn have been extensively documented in the literature [ 43 , 44 ]. These studies have shown that even minute teeth fragments can be identified amongst burn residues [ 38 ]. Moreover, they have provided a reliable methodology to estimate the exposure temperature, demonstrating that there may be no or minimal anatomical changes from such exposure.…”

SRY gene isolation from teeth for forensic gender identification—An observational study

“…In forensics, gender identification plays a crucial role in personal identification. While morphological traits are effective in identifying genders, their application is compromised in mutilated human remains or when only fragments of the body are recovered [ 1 ]. In such situations, Forensic odontologists can help particularly when only a few teeth and skull remain are available.…”

Teeth Segmentation in Panoramic Dental X-ray Using Mask Regional Convolutional Neural Network

“…OPT also allows the workup of orthodontic therapy through the assessment of dental and skeletal relationships, crowding investigation, and the identification of missing or extra teeth [1][2][3]. Moreover, OPTs are routinely used to assess bone age [4] and for forensic purposes [5].…”