Bite Marks Dr. M. Diamond

Dental Identification Victims –Especially from fires or explosions –By dental records Suspects –Match dental impressions to bite mark impressions –On skin or bones 30 – 76 comparison factors to consider

Teeth Tools Tooth mark is like a tool mark Chip, get worn down, shift or be reshaped Also –Restorations, fillings, breakage, tooth loss, injury, etc. –individualizes

Charting Teeth Each tooth assigned a number, –#1 = upper right third molar –#32 = lower right third molar Each tooth has 5 visible surfaces

Physical Characteristics Distance from cuspid to cuspid Shape of mouth arch Tooth alignment Tooth width and thickness Spacing between teeth Overbite/underbite Missing teeth Curves of biting edges Unique dentistry Wear patterns –Chips –grinding

First Bite Mark Case Scotland, 1967 Linda Peacock, 15 Found beaten and strangled Clothes in disarray Bruise on right breast Bite mark Showed uneven teeth

Evidence Witnesses had seen male and female together near crime scene Inmates of detention center for young men questioned Impressions taken of 30 Narrowed to 5 Additional impressions Arrived at suspect (Gordon Hay, 17) Pits from hypocalcination Jagged teeth Other evidence –Hay had come in late the night of the murder –Had mud on clothes –Reportedly had met victim recently Convicted of murder Bite mark evidence part of profiling –Indicates psychological factors