Aschheim Kenneth, Vág János, Simon Botond
Office of Chief Medical Examiner for the City of New York, New York, New York, USA.
New York University College of Dentistry, New York, New York, USA.
J Forensic Sci. 2025 May;70(3):1074-1088. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.70006. Epub 2025 Mar 21.
Bitemark recognition reliability in forensics has been criticized for lacking objectivity and empirical support. Despite doubts about classifying these injuries as bitemarks, pattern injuries must still be legally documented and analyzed. Forensic odontology can benefit from aesthetic dentistry by adopting metric analysis methods to define human dentition and objectively assess whether a pattern resembles a dental arch. In addition, past research on the challenges of individualizing bitemarks has inadvertently also defined these class characteristics. Although objectively quantifying these metrics is critical, prospective research must prove their uniqueness to the human species as well as their dependable transference to substrates such as skin. To explore and qualitatively define the mathematical characteristics of variations in the maxillary dental arch, an under-researched aspect of forensic odontology, two scanners collected digital maxilla scans from 100 participants (50% male, 50% female). The arch shape's intercuspal distance and parabolic curvature (y = ax + bx + c) were defined, recorded, and analyzed. The mean intercuspal distance of maxillary canines was 33.8 mm (SD: 2.25 mm, 29.0-39.6 mm). The mean fitted curve created by Linear Mixed Model (LMM) for Quadratic Regression Analysis was a mean of y-mean = 0.040x - 0.0008x - 1.581, an upper limit of y-higher = 0.047x - 0.00039x + 2.593, and a lower limit of y-lower = 0.032x - 0.0012x - 5.754. In addition, sexual dimorphism using quadratic analysis was not established. Quadratic regression analysis establishes an objective framework for characterizing the maxillary dental arch. Results indicate that the arches of human dentitions share class characteristics within a narrow range, and can also offer a framework for the assessment of dentitions across species.
法医领域中咬痕识别的可靠性一直因缺乏客观性和实证支持而受到批评。尽管有人对将这些损伤归类为咬痕表示怀疑，但形态损伤仍必须进行合法记录和分析。法医牙科学可以通过采用度量分析方法来界定人类牙列，并客观评估某种形态是否类似于牙弓，从而从美学牙科中受益。此外，过去关于咬痕个体化挑战的研究也无意中界定了这些类别特征。虽然客观量化这些指标至关重要，但前瞻性研究必须证明它们对人类物种的独特性以及它们向皮肤等底物的可靠转移。为了探索并定性界定上颌牙弓变异的数学特征（这是法医牙科学中一个研究不足的方面），两台扫描仪从100名参与者（50%为男性，50%为女性）那里收集了上颌骨的数字扫描数据。界定、记录并分析了牙弓形状的牙尖间距离和抛物线曲率（y = ax + bx + c）。上颌尖牙的平均牙尖间距离为33.8毫米（标准差：2.25毫米，范围29.0 - 39.6毫米）。用于二次回归分析的线性混合模型（LMM）创建的平均拟合曲线为：平均y值 = 0.040x - 0.0008x - 1.581，上限y值较高 = 0.047x - 0.00039x + 2.593，下限y值较低 = 0.032x - 0.0012x - 5.754。此外，未通过二次分析确定性别二态性。二次回归分析为表征上颌牙弓建立了一个客观框架。结果表明，人类牙列的牙弓在狭窄范围内具有类别特征，并且还可以为跨物种牙列评估提供一个框架。
