Individualization through Observation of the Characteristic of Alveolar Bone of Edentulous Skulls

Abstract

The loss of permanent teeth in an adult is highly undesirable. Usually, a tooth loss is caused by periodontal disease, trauma, and or caries. A long period of time of toothless condition will cause pathological migration of the remaining teeth and decreased alveolar bone in the edentulous region. The aim of this study is to observe the characteristics of the alveolar bones of some edentulous skulls. Observations made on the 10 skulls in The Department of Anatomy and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga. The teeth loss antemortem could be differentiated from postmortem loss. Based on our observations on the edentulous skulls, it is found that the characteristic of the alveolar bones differed from each other based on the different rate of remodelling on the living tissue of the alveolar bone, during the life of the individuals. It can be concluded that the edentulous condition has a certain characteristic according to the length of time of the tooth loss, which can be compared to the data of the individual during life. It can help to identify an unknown individual based on the unique characteristic found on the alveolar bone of the edentulous individual.