Page 8 - Bad Impression Bite Mark

Pre-Lab

Solutions

Background Procedure

1. What makes teeth good for victim 6. How many wax impressions should each
identification? person make?
Teeth are very durable and, therefore, capable Two
of withstanding conditions that destroy other
body tissues, and are unique to each person.
7. How will you determine the orientation of the
bite mark in the photo?
2. How should a bite mark on a person be Front upper teeth form larger rectangles than
documented? teeth from the lower jaw, which are smaller and
The bite mark should be photographed and a closer together.
cast taken of the impression.

8. What mathematical trait makes a character
3. When evaluating a bite mark, what should be good for separating samples?
the first thing determined? The amount of variability in the character.
Which teeth made the specific marks. Alternately: variance, standard deviation.

4. When comparing bite marks, what are three
points of comparison mentioned in the text?
Arch size and shape, unusual features (chips,
wear, missing teeth), and tooth size, shape, and
alignment

5. Why might multiple forensic odontologists
have different opinions on the same bite mark
evidence?
There is not a single set of objective criteria
that all forensic odontologists follow.

8 THE MYSTERY OF LYLE AND LOUISE