Anthropological Studies
[Abbr: Acd. Jr. AJASt]Sex Determination from Digital Radiographs of Costal Cartilage: A Cross Sectional Study
by Shama Patyal, Tejasvi Bhatia
The aim of this study was to study the pattern of calcification found in cartilage of costal region with the aid of digital radiographs in male and female. PA chest digital radiographs were taken and with the help of software IMAGEWORK radiological evaluation of calcification pattern were done. With the help of IMAGEWORK we can alter the contrast, magnify the radiograph, can increase or decrease the sharpness and brightness that help in greater visualization and help in better evaluation on type of pattern as compare to conventional mean. Other advantage is it is cost and time efficient. Three main distinct calcification pattern were seen in the present study. In males’ peripheral type of calcification was dominant where as in females’ central type was more seen. Mixed type of pattern was more common in age group 20- 40. In males at age of 16 calcification was noted whereas in females at age of 18. Keywords: Digital Radiographs, Costal Cartilage, Calcification, Sexual Dimorphism.
Alveolar Bone - As a Valuable Evidence in Forensic Investigations - A Review
by Amisha Nayak, Dr. Sandhya Tamgadge
Tooth is a prime hard tissue remain for forensic identification. Often in the absence of teeth for forensic investigations, Bones can provide enough information to recognize the deceased and bring about justice for the victim and convict the culprit. Estimation of Age, Sex, Stature and Race in a forensic sample is difficult due to its varied response towards extrinsic and intrinsic factors over the individual’s lifetime. Numerous studies on tooth structure are performed and collated using these parameters. However, studies conducted with Alveolar Bone as a forensic sample are limited with no collation. Alveolar bone plays a vital role in identifying the deceased due to its long vitality even after the decomposition of the soft tissues of the unknown deceased. Numerous method for person identification, such as Morphological methods, Radiographic methods, Histological methods, Digital methods and Molecular methods applied in various studies of forensic investigations are compiled in this review. Alveolar bone as a diagnostic tool could be contemplated as the methods in forensic investigations owing to an array of methods used for identification especially in edentulous individuals. This review describes Alveolar Bone as a vital tool in forensic diagnosis using various diagnostic methods of forensic personal identification. Keywords: Alveolar Bone, Forensic Odontology, Diagnostic Tool, Dentistry.
A Comparative Study of Anthropometric Variations of Cephalo-Facial Dimensions
by Dr. Preeti Singh
Since the very beginning of anthropology, anthropometry has played a vital role in acknowledging human evolution and variations. It is a technique used to measure somato-metric dimensions of a body whether living, dead or a cadaver. Anthropometry had its importance in population variation and racial classification, but its newer applied magnitudes have gained heights in various other fields ergonomically. The present study focuses on the cephalo- facial aspects of two group of females- the Brahmin and the Rajput of Lucknow district which are endogamous in nature, having common gene pool. Thus, are Mendelian populations. 600 individuals were randomly selected as sample for the study (300 for each group). These types of studies are significant in India because India exhibits varied forms of castes, creeds, religions, culture, customs. It is seen that the two group of females under study have more differences for their cephalo- facial measurements. The similarities or say insignificant differences in two endogamous groups can be attributed to parallelism and their adaptive environments.. Keywords: Anthropometry, Mendelian population, Cephalometry, Females, Brahmin and Rajput.
Stereolithographic Printing a Novelty in Forensic Odontology: A Review
by Dr. Priyanka Madhavan, Dr. Sudeendra Prabhu, Dr. Vishnu Radje, Syed Mohammed Miqdad
Forensic Odontology is a very interesting branch of the Forensic Sciences that involves the usage of dental sciences in the identifying the dead individuals. Stereolithography is an evolving tool for finding the victims and deceased individuals in the branch of the forensic odontology. It’s a type of the 3D printing procedure which is being aided for forming the models, patterns, etc., by using a photochemical process. In this process, light causes development of polymers. This review highlights the history, principle, and application, cases proven with stereolithographic printing in the field of forensics, its advantages and drawbacks. Keywords: Forensic Odontology, Stereolithography, 3D Printing, Victim Identification, Facial Reconstruction.
Variations in the Palatal Rugae Patterns in Indian Populations – A Need for a Multi-Centric or Multi-Regional Study under Forensic Context
by Dr. Divya Mandalaywala, Dr. Jayasankar P. Pillai
Palatal rugae are the anatomical mucosal elevations that are seen in the anterior hard palate. Palatal rugae number and their patterns are not uniform in all individuals, they appear to vary in several population subsets. They are associated with variations in different regions of India and can aid as an additional tool in forensic identification procedures. Palatal rugae studies are being reported from different parts of India. It have been observed that qualitative and quantitative variations occur in palatal rugae among several populations subsets in India. Variations which are gender based in the palatal rugae have also been reported in the literature. This article reviews the pattern of variations seen in palatal rugae in different geographic locations in India as reported in the scientific literature. It is observed that the population in the Southern part of India has shown dominance in wavy patterns, whereas, in Northern and central India, the straight pattern was more common. Rugae patterns are considered as important anatomic markers in forensic human identification, large-scale multi-centric research is required to validate palatal rugae features in discriminating population (groups) in India. Thus in situations of mass disaster, the soft tissue component like rugae may be an addendum to the dental features in identifying human remains. Keywords: Geographical Variations, Palatal Rugae, Population Variation, Rugoscopy, Forensic Human Identification
The Unexplored Diagnostic Aid in the Indian Armed Forces - Forensic Odontology
by Sakshi, Dr. Ashim Aggarwal
Forensic odontology is that field of dental sciences which deals with handling of forensic evidence for presentation in the court of law. Military personnel are exposed to extensive range of adversities during their course of service which varies from natural calamities to wars and anti-terrorism operations. Identification of our army men in such cases is therefore imperative. Teeth are alleged to resist extremes of temperatures and conditions where general identifying features are damaged beyond recognition and it is hence of great succour to establish the identity of not only our military personnel but also of terrorists escaping in disguise. In disasters including aircraft wrecks, natural calamities this branch of forensic i.e. forensic odontology is often of great succour by establishing the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI). If dental records of the recruits also are kept along with other biometric records, it might demonstrate to be beneficial in identification of bodies even after a lag of time. Dental features and their countless combinations can be unique to an individual, a proper database of the ante mortem records can be maintained for comparison with the post mortem records as and when needed. Impression of dental arches, prepared dental casts and orthopantomogram (OPG) is used to view the dentition, alveolar bone & other adjacent structures. Identification of incinerated victims can be achieved using dental pulp which demonstrated to be great source of genomic DNA which is of high molecular weight. Digital dental record would hasten up the process of identification and would even have less human based errors. Forensic odontology is greatly employed by militaries of many countries and would be extremely beneficial if harnessed by the armed forces of India to it’s maximal extent. Keywords: Military Personnel, Antiterrorism Operations, Disaster Victim Identification, Ante and Post-mortem Data, Digital Dental Record Keeping.