Original Article

Year : 2019 | Volume : 4 | Issue : 2 | Page :77 - 81

Tooth Size: Third Eye in Forensic Odontology

PS Prabu, Ajmal Khan Kattak S, Neetika Prabu1, Sujith Menon, V Beenu, Vishnu S Pattath

From the Malabar Dental College and Research Centre, Edappal, Malappuram, Kerala, 1 Department Of Orthodontics, RVS Dental College, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

Address for correspondence:

Dr. Ajmal Khan Kattak S, E‐mail: ajmalkhankattaks@gmail.com

Abstract

Background:

The role of the forensic odontologist is to establish a person’s identity. Teeth, with their physiologic variations, pathoses, and effects of therapy, record information that remains throughout life and beyond. The comparison of the facial profile from dental morphometrics has been a subject of great interest in forensic odontology. H. Pound’s formula and Berry’s formula are few methods used to determine the size of maxillary central incisors.

Objective:

The aim of this study is to suggest a novel approach in identifying a potential suspect or victim by determining the facial parameters (bizygomatic width and facial length) using the mesiodistal dimensions of maxillary central incisors.

Materials and Methods:

This study included sample size n = 200 participants, of which 100 participants were male and 100 were female. The width of maxillary central incisors of all the participants was measured. The values were incorporated in the Berry’s biometric index and Pound’s formula to determine the bizygomatic width and facial length (estimated values) Bizygomatic width and facial length of all the participants were also measured in actual values. These values were then compared.

Results:

The difference between actual and estimated values in regard to bizygomatic width was 0.01 in males and 0.02 in females, whereas the difference in facial length values was 0.03 in males and 0.02 in females.

Conclusion:

Logistic regression was used (instead of made write used) to predict the probability of the parameters most likely to be reproduced in the creation of the facial profile based on tooth morphometrics. The results indicated a definite correlation between the facial and the tooth parameters and the role of formulas in facial parameter construction. Thus, this method can be developed as a new tool and can be applied in future disaster victim identification operation.

Key Words: Dental morphometrics, facial reconstruction, forensic odontology, permanent maxillary central incisor

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

How to cite this article:

Prabu PS, Khan AK, Prabu N, Menon S, Beenu V, Pattath VS. Tooth size: Third eye in forensic odontology. Int J Forensic

Odontol 2019;4:77-81.