Dental Cingulum and Position of Fixed Orthodontic Appliance as Source of Morphological and Therapeutic Identifiers: An Unusual Case Report

Abstract

Orthodontic records, such as photographs, radiographs, and dental casts, provide information useful for identification purposes because it may reveal important morphological, therapeutic, and pathological dental identifiers. Among these identifiers, the type and position of orthodontic appliances figure as distinctive tools for human identification. In this context, the present study aims to report an uncommon case of identification of a putrefied body, found near to a forest region in Brazil. The postmortem (PM) examination showed that the victim had part of a fixed orthodontic appliance installed in the maxillary and mandibular dental arches. To identify the body, relatives of the potential victim presented orthodontic examinations containing panoramic radiography and photographs of the orthodontic treatment. The body was identified based on the analysis of the radiographs and photographs that confirmed the presence of the orthodontic appliances observed PM. More specifically, the identification was supported by the analysis of bracket bonding position of the maxillary and mandibular incisors and the presence of distinctive morphological traits of the canines and incisors, as well dental roots observed radiographically. The present case highlights the importance of orthodontic records as a source of morphological dental identifiers for cases in which only unrestored teeth are available.

When a single central incisor makes the difference for human identification – a case report

“…The presence of identifiers from endodontic and orthodontic treatment in the victim corroborates the idea that Dentistry is constantly supplied with image exams in daily practice. In this context, Endodontics (Berketa et al, 2019) and Orthodontics (Picoli et al, 2019) figure as powerful sources of AM data for Forensic Dentistry. It is important to note, that dental human identification should combine all the available identifiers (Pereira & Santos, 2013).…”

Forensic value of orthodontic records for human identification: a systematic review

“…The studies were published between 2002 and 2021. Twelve articles (75%) were reported from Brazil (Paranhos, Caldas, Iwashita, Scanavini, & Daruge Júnior, 2008;Silva Daruge Júnior, Pereira, de Almeida, & de Oliveira, 2008;Caputo, Reis, Silveira, Guimarães, & Silva 2011;Da Silva, Chaves, Paranhos, Lenza, & Daruge Junior, 2011;Terada et al, 2014;Belotti et al, 2015;Argollo, Argollo de Argollo & Marques, 2017;Silva et al, 2017;Baldim, de Almeida, Delwing, & Tinoco, 2019;Freire, Bento, Rabello, & Santiago, 2019;Picoli et al, 2019;Correia et al, 2021), two (12.5%) from the USA (Goodman & Hilmmerberger, 2002;Lewis, Shiroma, Guenthner, & Dunn., 2004), and one (6.25%) from South Africa (Bernitz & Solomon, 2014). One study did not specify the origin of the case (Cardoza & Wood, 2015).…”

“…One study did not specify the origin of the case (Cardoza & Wood, 2015). Ten studies (62.5%) were published in English (Goodman & Hilmmerberger, 2002;Lewis et al, 2004;Caputo et al, 2011;Da Silva et al, 2011;Bernitz & Solomon, 2014;Terada et al, 2014;Cardoza & Wood, 2015;Silva et al, 2017;Picoli et al, 2019;Correia et al, 2021) and six (37.5%) in Portuguese (Paranhos et al, 2008;Silva et al, 2008;Belotti et al, 2015;Argollo et al, 2017;Baldin et al, 2019;Freire et al, 2019). There was no mention of guidelines for structuring case Acta Scientiarum.…”

“…Hence, AM radiographs will be compared to PM radiographs, preferably using the same image acquisition technique (Silva et al, 2016), and clinical photographs will be compared to autopsy photographs. After AM and PM data collection, dental charting is performed for a standardized comparison of dental features , which can be morphological, therapeutic, and pathological (Picoli et al, 2019). The comparative process occurs separately per tooth position and surface and can reveal similarities and discrepancies between AM and PM data (Senn & Weems, 2013).…”

Dental hygiene students' matching accuracy when comparing antemortem dental radiographs and oral photographs to simulated postmortem WinID3® odontograms

“…While dental radiographs are considered most critical for image comparisons, oral photographs can also provide visual information from varying views and are best when used in conjunction with other evidence [ 2 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Of particular importance, photographs can offer evidence of unique features of anterior teeth especially when patients are undergoing aesthetic improvements and photographed at various stages of cosmetic and orthodontic treatment [ 2 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. Additionally, conditions such as early erosion, wear, and pathology may be pictorially represented even if not yet detectable on radiographs or difficult to adequately explain in written text [ 22 ].…”