Module 1: 
 

Foundational Skills

Human Dental Comparison

Human Dental Identification

Report Writing

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Week 1

• Introduction to Forensic Dentistry

• Principles of a Medico-Legal Autopsy

• Principles of Human Dental Comparison

• Principles of Human Dental Identification

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Week 2

• Race and Gender Determination

• Cranial, Mandibular, Dental and Arch Morphology

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Week 3

• Forensic Dental Photography

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Week 4

• Forensic Dental Radiography

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Week 5

• Categories and Terminology in Body Dental Comparison and Identification

• Overview

• Report Writing

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* WEEKLY PRACTICAL ASSIGNMENTS

* WEEKLY ZOOM WEBINAr / chat WITH THE COURSE DIRECTOR

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Module 2:
 

Mass Disaster Management

Circumstances in Disaster Situations

Oral and Facial Conditions

WinID

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Week 1

• Medico-legal Work in Major Disasters

• Guidelines and Problems in Disasters

• Burned, Incinerated and Carbonized

• Extreme Heat on Teeth, Root Canal Filling, Resins, Ceramics

• Trauma and Heat Related Fractures

• UV and Dental Restorations, SEM
   

Week 2

• Problems in Mass-Disaster Dental Identification

• Implants

• The Edentulous

• Trabecular Bone in Identification

• Fractal Analysis

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Week 3

• Role of the Dental Disaster Team in Mass Fatality Incidents

• Maintaining Proper Identification

• Suicidal Terrorism

• The Pathology of Terrorism: Biological, Infectious and Chemical Terrorism

• X-Ray Screening

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Week 4

• Design and Assessment of Mock Mass Disaster

• Aviation Pathology

• Mutilation

• Trauma

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Week 5

• Guidelines for Explosion Fatalities

• War and Genocide Graves

• Exhumation

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Week 6

• Emerging Infectious Diseases

• Adipocere

• Luminol

• Radiocarbon and Strontium Dating

• Thermography
   

Week 7

• Rap-Up

• Emotional and Psychological Impact

• Lessons Learned in Disaster Situations

• Forensic Dental Career

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* WEEKLY PRACTICAL ASSIGNMENTS

* WEEKLY ZOOM WEBINAR / chat WITH THE COURSE DIRECTOR

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Module 3:
 

Human Dental Age Assessment

Human Dental Age Assessment Report Writing

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Week 1

• Forensic Human Dental Age Assessment:

  • Pre-natal, Child

  • Ageing Techniques:

    • ​AlQahtani

    • Moorees, Fanning, Hunt

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Week 2

• Forensic Human Dental Age Assessment:

  • ​Child, Adolescent

  • Ageing Techniques:

    • AlQahtani

    • Demirjian

    • Harris

    • Willems

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Week 3

• Forensic Human Dental Age Assessment:

  • Adult dentition versus legal age

  • Ageing Techniques:

    • Cameriere 2004 and 2007

    • Kvaal 1995

    • Mincer

    • Nortje, etc.

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Week 4

• Forensic Human Dental Age Assessment:

  • Ageing Techniques:

    • Bang, Ramm

    • Johanson

    • Lamendin

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Week 5

• Forensic Human Dental Age Assessment and Dental Body Identification Reports

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* WEEKLY PRACTICAL ASSIGNMENTS

* WEEKLY ZOOM WEBINAR / chat WITH THE COURSE DIRECTOR

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Module 4:
 

Pattern Injury Characteristics

Pattern Injury Made by Teeth

Bitemark Report Writing

Bitemark Comparison

Bitemark Comparison Report Writing

 

Week 1

• History of Bitemark Evidence

• Human Abuse Recognition:

  • Medical Examiner, Coroner, Pathologist, Dentist, Nurse, Caretaker, Teacher, Family Member

• Forms of Abuse:

  • Child, Intimate and non-intimate Partner, Elder Abuse

• Types of Abuse:

  • Physical, Emotional/Psychological, Sexual, Financial, Medical Assessment, Collection, and Documentation of Evidence for Oral and Peri-Oral Manifestations of Human Abuse

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Week 2

• Animal and Carnivore Bitemarks

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Week 3

• Recognition of Suspected Pattern of Human Dental Origin Terminology

• Anatomical Location

• Cutaneous Injuries:

  • Central Contusions, Linear Abrasions and Contusions, Lingual Markings, Tongue Thrusting, Acute Inflammatory Reaction, Tooth Indentation

• Pattern Injury Characteristics:

  • Abrasion, Bruise, Contusion, Laceration, Petechial Hemorrhage, Avulsion, Incision, Indentation, Drag Marks, Unkown

• Tissue Characteristics:

  • Fixed Substrate, Mobile Substrate, Substrate Elasticity

• Substrate Characteristics:

  • Physical Characteristics, Pattern Colour, Surface, Surface Contour

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Week 4

• Nature of Bitemarks and Tissue Specimens

• Transillumination & Histology

• Histology and Timing of Injury

• Bitemark Distortion

• Static vs Non-Static Bitemarks

• Patterns, Lesions and Trauma Mimicking Bitemarks

• Postmortem Bitemarks

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Week 5

• ABFO Standards and Guidelines for Evaluating Bitemarks

• Class Characteristics of the Human Bitemark

  • ​Pattern Landmark, Pattern Shape, Pattern Metrics, Circumferential Distance, Linear Distance, Cuspidal Eminence, Intercuspal

  • Distance, Intercanine Distance

  • Dental Arch, Arch Size, Maximum Inter-Arch Distance, Dental Midline, Arch Midline, Consistent with the Size and Shape of the Human

  • Dentition, Primary, Mixed, Permanent Dentition

• Individual Characteristics of the Human Bitemark:

  • Individual Arch and Dental Characteristics

  • Diastema, Incisal Edge, Incisal Edge Shape, Incisal Edge Metrics, Incisal Edge Angulation

• Orientation of the Bite Mark

• Less Than Ideal Human Bitemark

• Evidentiary Value

• Terms indicating a pattern or patterned injury is or is not a bitemark - ABFO

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Week 6

• Photographic Documentation of Suspected Pattern of Dental Origin

• Terms and Definitions:

  • Aperture, Bracketing, Camera Sensor, Composition, Depth of Field, File Compression, Flash, Focus, Light Source, Compression, Macro Photography, Magnification, Photographic Scale

• Equipment and Materials:

  • Camera, Lens, Flash or Light Source, Photographic Scale, Retractors and Mirrors

• Guidelines for Evidentiary Quality Photographs:

  • Orientation Images, Minimizing Distortion, Non-Metric Close-UP Images, Metric Close-Up Images, Photographing Non-Flat Substrates

• Types of Photography:

  • Colour, B&W, ALI, UV, IR

• Metadata, Lens Correction and Other Prerequisites to Pattern Analysis

• Best Practices

• Practical Tips in Bitemark Photography

• Image Processing, Analysis, Security, Storage, Archiving of Images

• Cybersecurity Protocols and Secure Messaging Techniques

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Week 7

• Photographic Documentation of Suspected Pattern of Dental Origin

• Other Evidence Collection

• Pattern Injury DNA Recovery

• Salivary DNA

• Microscopy

• Skin Scanners vs Bitemark Impressions

• Chain of custody

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Week 8

• Documentation of Suspected Pattern of Dental Origin

• Case Information, Examination, Pattern Location, Features, Description, Measurements

• Pattern Analysis

• Digital Analysis

• Evidentiary Value:

  • Photographs Need to be Focused, Illuminated, Properly Exposed, Lens Correct, with a Known Plane of Image, and with Image Angular Correction. The Size and Shape of EAch Dental Arch with Its Midline Must Be Identified, as are Individual Teeth

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Week 9

• Pattern Injury Report Content:

  • Pattern Location, Measurements and Orientation

  • Type of Dentition: 

    • Animal, Human:

    • Primary, Mixed, Permanent Dentition

  • Antemortem vs Postmortem Bitemarks

  • Self-inflicted Bitemarks

  • Evidentiary Value

  • Terms Indicating a Pattern Injury is or is not a Bitemark

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Week 10

• Blinding

• Dental Line-Up: Person(s) of Interest and Individuals as Foils

• Evidence Collection of the Dentitions:

  • Written Consent, Search Warrant, Subpoena, or Court Order

  • Medical and Dental History

  • Facial, Oral, Other Exam

  • Photography

  • Intraoral Scanner - Virtual 3D Digital Dental Models (Orthopix, etc) vs Dental Casts

• Methods of Comparison, Overlays

• Bitemark Comparison Report Writing Content:

  • Preliminary, Interim or Final Report

    • Introduction, Inventory of Evidence Received, Inventory of Evidence Collected, Findings Regarding the Pattern, Analysis, Overlays, Test Bites, Other Results, Conclusions, Disclaimer

    • Linkage Terminology Betweek the Bitemard and the Dentitions

• Independent Verification in the form of a Second Opinion

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Week 11

• Quantification, Uniqueness, Individualization, Probability, Reliability of Bitemark Evidence

• Match and Error Rates in Forensic Science

• Randomness in Forensic Science

• Resolving Issues in Bitemark Analysis

• Contextual Information, Observer, Cognitive, Confirmation Bias

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Forensic Odontology

• Ethics and Ethical Issues in Forensic Odontology

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Week 12

• Science and the Law

• Case Law

• Dental Expert Witness

• Contracting with an Expert Witness.

• Expert Witness Guidelines & Testimony

• Courtroom Aids

• Expert Disagreement

• Legal Liability of an Expert Witness

• Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence

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Week 13

• NAS, PCAST, TFSC NIST Reports

• Peer Review in Forensic Science

• A Historic Perspective of Bitemark Analysis and Bitemark Comparison

• Forensic Misdiagnosis

• Wrongful Convictions and Erroneous Bitemark Opinions

• Contextual Contamination of Forensic Evidence by Post-Conviction Litigators

• In Defense of Forensic Pattern Identification

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* WEEKLY PRACTICAL ASSIGNMENTS

* WEEKLY ZOOM WEBINAR / chat WITH THE COURSE DIRECTOR

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