Bite Marks

Violence and acts of crime are widely prevalent in today's society. Modern day criminal investigations have reached its peak where involvement of many different disciplines is a must to solve crime. Forensic dentistry plays an important role in mass disasters, child/elder/spouse abuse cases, bite mark analysis, criminal and natural deaths and injuries, bioterrorism, etc. The different methods employed in forensic dentistry include bite mark analysis, tooth prints, rugoscopy, cheiloscopy, dental-DNA analysis, radiographs, and photographic analysis. Bite marks analysis is based on the principle that no two mouths are alike. Bite marks are thus, considered as valuable alternative to fingerprinting and DNA identification in forensic examinations. Bite mark analysis plays a vital role in forensic investigations. Bite marks are characteristic of an individual and these are different even in identical twins. This inimitability of an individual's dentition forms the scientific basis for bite mark identification. Analysis of bite mark evidence has been assisting the judiciary to answer crucial questions about interactions between people at the scene of a crime.