Optimization of forensic identification through 3-dimensional imaging analysis of labial tooth surface using open-source software.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine the minimum number of teeth in the anterior dental arch that would yield accurate results for individual identification in forensic contexts. Materials and Methods: The study involved the analysis of 28 sets of 3-dimensional (3D) point cloud data, focused on the labial surface of the anterior teeth. These datasets were superimposed within each group in both genuine and imposter pairs. Group A incorporated data from the right to the left central incisor, group B from the right to the left lateral incisor, and group C from the right to the left canine. A comprehensive analysis was conducted, including the evaluation of root mean square error (RMSE) values and the distances resulting from the superimposition of dental arch segments. All analyses were conducted using CloudCompare version 2.12.4 (Telecom ParisTech and R&D, Kyiv, Ukraine). Results: The distances between genuine pairs in groups A, B, and C displayed an average range of 0.153 to 0.184 mm. In contrast, distances for imposter pairs ranged from 0.338 to 0.522 mm. RMSE values for genuine pairs showed an average range of 0.166 to 0.177, whereas those for imposter pairs ranged from 0.424 to 0.638. A statistically significant difference was observed between the distances of genuine and imposter pairs (P<0.05). Conclusion: The exceptional performance observed for the labial surfaces of anterior teeth underscores their potential as a dependable criterion for accurate 3D dental identification. This was achieved by assessing a minimum of 4 teeth.

Exploring the feasibility of smartphone cameras for 3D modelling of bite patterns in forensic dental identification.

The field of bitemark analysis involves examining physical alterations in a medium resulting from contact with teeth and other oral structures. Various techniques, such as 2D and 3D imaging, have been developed in recent decades to ensure precise analysis of bitemarks. This study assessed the precision of using a smartphone camera to generate 3D models of bitemark patterns. A 3D model of the bite mark pattern was created using 3Shape TRIOSTM and a smartphone camera combined with monoscopic photogrammetry. The mesiodistal dimensions of the anterior teeth were measured using Rapidform Explorer and OrtogOnBlender, and the collected data were analyzed using IBM® SPSS® Statistics version 23.0. The mean mesiodistal dimension of the anterior teeth, as measured on the 3D model from 3Shape TRIOSTM and smartphone cameras, was found to be 6.95 ± 0.7667 mm and 6.94 ± 0.7639 mm, respectively. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between the two measurement methods, p > 0.05. The outcomes derived from this study unequivocally illustrate that a smartphone camera possessing the specific parameters detailed in this study can create a 3D representation of bite patterns with an accuracy level on par with the outputs of a 3D intraoral camera. These findings underscore the promising trajectory of merging smartphone cameras and monoscopic photogrammetry techniques, positioning them as a budget-friendly avenue for 3D bitemark analysis. Notably, the monoscopic photogrammetry methodology assumes substantial significance within forensic odontology due to its capacity for precise 3D reconstructions and the preservation of critical measurement data.

The significance of amelogenin loci from toothpicks as forensic evidence for sex determination.

Objective: DNA analysis has become the gold standard of all identification methods in forensic science. There are several primary and secondary sources of DNA samples in the field of forensics. Primary sources can be obtained directly from individuals, whereas secondary sources of DNA samples include items used by someone such as clothes, toothbrushes, and toothpicks. In Asian countries such as Korea, Japan, and Indonesia, toothpicks are often used, as the tip of toothpicks used to clear food particles in the interdental regions can be utilized to capture DNA samples from saliva. The use of saliva samples for DNA analysis in sex identification is based on short tandem repeats with the amelogenin (AMG) locus. The purpose of this study was to examine the concentration and purity of DNA on toothpicks as evidence in criminal case investigations, as well as its potential as sex determination material. Methods: Eight subjects were instructed to clean the interproximal side of their posterior teeth using a toothpick. Each toothpick sample was kept for 0 days (as a control), 14 days, and 20 days. The purity and DNA concentration of each sample were determined through DNA examination. After determining the concentration and purity of DNA from each sample, electrophoresis of the AMG loci was performed for sex determination. Results: This study showed that the average concentration of DNA on toothpicks ranged from 425.25 to 796.25 µg/ml, and the average purity of DNA ranged from 1.09 to 1.13 µg/ml. The AMG gene produces 112 and 116 base pair amplicons from the X and Y chromosomes. Conclusion: Sex determination using DNA can be done using AMG loci, a protein found on the sex chromosomes (X and Y). The value of DNA concentration on toothpicks could be used to support forensic identification after 20 days at room temperature.

Age estimation from mandibles in Malay: A 2D geometric morphometric analysis.

Objectives: In this study, the sizes and forms of mandibles in various age groups of the Malay population were measured and compared. Methods: Geometric morphometric (GM) analysis of mandibles from 400 dental panoramic tomography (DPT) specimens was conducted. The MorphoJ program was used to perform generalized Procrustes analysis (GPA), Procrustes ANOVA, principal component analysis (PCA), discriminant function analysis (DFA), and canonical variate analysis (CVA). In the tpsDig2 program, the 27 landmarks were applied to the DPT radiographs. Variations in mandibular size and form were categorized into four age groups: group 1 (15-24 years), group 2 (25-34 years), group 3 (35-44 years), and group 4 (45-54 years). Results: The diversity in mandibular shape among the first eight principal components was 81%. Procrustes ANOVA revealed significant shape differences (P < 0.001) among age groups. Mahalanobis distances indicated substantial differences among all age groups; group 1 and group 4 scored highest, at 2.114. The ranges for the cross-validation and discriminant function tests were 90-72% and 81-49%, respectively. Conclusion: GM analysis through radiography is a simple, non-invasive, and non-destructive method of estimating age by using the mandible. GM analysis is unique because it can visualize the changes in mandible shape among age groups. This method should aid in age identification in forensic odontology investigations.

3D Bitemark Analysis in Forensic Odontology Utilizing a Smartphone Camera and Open-Source Monoscopic Photogrammetry Surface Scanning

Abstract Bitemark analysis is a challenging procedure in the field of criminal case investigation. The unique characteristics of dentition are used to find the best match between the existing patterned injury and the suspected perpetrator in bitemark identification. Bitemark analysis accuracy can be influenced by various factors, including biting pressure, tooth morphology, skin elasticity, dental cast duplication, timing, and image quality. This review article discusses the potential of a smartphone camera as an alternative method for 3D bitemark analysis. Bitemark evidence on human skin and food should be immediately recorded or duplicated to retrieve long-lasting proof, allowing for a sufficient examination period. Various studies utilizing two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) technologies have been developed to obtain an adequate bitemark analysis. 3D imaging technology provides accurate and precise analysis. However, the currently available method using an intraoral scanner (IOS) requires high-cost specialized equipment and a well-trained operator. The numerous advantages of monoscopic photogrammetry may lead to a novel method of 3D bitemark analysis in forensic odontology. Smartphone cameras and monoscopic photogrammetry methodology could lead to a novel method of 3D bitemark analysis with an efficient cost and readily available equipment.

Applications of contemporary artificial intelligence technology in forensic odontology as primary forensic identifier: A scoping review.

Background: Forensic odontology may require a visual or clinical method during identification. Sometimes it may require forensic experts to refer to the existing technique to identify individuals, for example, by using the atlas to estimate the dental age. However, the existing technology can be a complicated procedure for a large-scale incident requiring a more significant number of forensic identifications, particularly during mass disasters. This has driven many experts to perform automation in their current practice to improve efficiency. Objective: This article aims to evaluate current artificial intelligence applications and discuss their performance concerning the algorithm architecture used in forensic odontology. Methods: This study summarizes the findings of 28 research papers published between 2010 and June 2022 using the Arksey and O'Malley framework, updated by the Joanna Briggs Institute Framework for Scoping Reviews methodology, highlighting the research trend of artificial intelligence technology in forensic odontology. In addition, a literature search was conducted on Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, Google Scholar, and PubMed, and the results were evaluated based on their content and significance. Results: The potential application of artificial intelligence technology in forensic odontology can be categorized into four: (1) human bite marks, (2) sex determination, (3) age estimation, and (4) dental comparison. This powerful tool can solve humanity's problems by giving an adequate number of datasets, the appropriate implementation of algorithm architecture, and the proper assignment of hyperparameters that enable the model to perform the prediction at a very high level of performance. Conclusion: The reviewed articles demonstrate that machine learning techniques are reliable for studies involving continuous features such as morphometric parameters. However, machine learning models do not strictly require large training datasets to produce promising results. In contrast, deep learning enables the processing of unstructured data, such as medical images, which require large volumes of data. Occasionally, transfer learning was used to overcome the limitation of data. In the meantime, this method's capacity to automatically learn task-specific feature representations has made it a significant success in forensic odontology.

Children and Adolescent Dental Age Estimation by the Willems and Al Qahtani Methods in Surabaya, Indonesia.

Objectives: Dental age estimation has been employed in a range of legal operations as well as catastrophe victim identification. Dental age estimation is regarded as an appropriate method for estimating a person's age because there is a high association between age and teeth. This study aims to assess the suitability of the Al Qahtani and Willems dental age estimation approaches for the Indonesian children and adolescent population. Methods: A total of 150 panoramic radiographs of patients (75 boys and 75 girls, 6-17 years old) were obtained from the Department of Radiology, Airlangga University, Indonesia. One researcher analyzed estimated dental age (EDA) twice in a one-week time-lapse using the Willems and Al Qahtani methods. The statistical analysis of the present study was carried out using IBM® SPSS® Statistics version 25.0 (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). Results: The mean of this study's chronological age (CA) was 11.60 ± 3.41. Using the Willems method, the mean difference between CA and EDA for boys and girls was -0.41 ± 0.90. The mean difference between CA and EDA for boys and girls is 0.33 ± 0.61 using the Al Qahtani method. Conclusions: According to the findings of this investigation, the dental age estimation method proposed by Al Qahtani and Willems can be applied to the population in Surabaya. However, a comprehensive study is required when using this method because the data revealed significant statistical disparities between the two methods.

SIBLING PAIR ANALYSIS IN THE IDENTIFICATION PROCESS OF THE MADURESE POPULATION USING STR CODIS LOCI.

Background: The most common problem in forensic personal identification, particularly in paternity tests, is the availability of information originating from a mother or a father that can be used as a comparison in the forensic DNA examination process. The use of sibling analysis in paternity tests is still not widely known. Materials and methods: The respondents of this study were 25 families of the Madurese population with 6, 9, and 10 sibling pairs categorized as female-female, male-male, and male-female siblings. The kinship relationship was analyzed by using 13 STR CODIS loci technique (TPOX, D3S1358, FGA, D5S818, CSFIPO, D7S820, D8S1179, THOI, vWA, D13S317, D16S539, D18S51, D21S11), and Amelogenin (Amel) x: 106bp,y: 112bp). Results: The results of DNA contents and purity examination of the extracted DNA sample showed that the average value of DNA contents was 675±5.35 ng/µL with a purity range of 1.05-1.86. The findings proved that the male-male siblings of the Madurese population had the highest allele sharing percentage at the loci of D13S317, D16S539, and D21S11. The highest allele sharing percentage for female-female siblings was at the loci of TPOX and D21S11. Meanwhile, the male-female siblings had the highest allele sharing percentage at the loci of TPOX, D5S818, vWA, D7S820, THO1, vWA, and D13S317. Conclusion: The main STR loci recommended in the male-female siblings of Madurese population identification are TPOX, D13S317, and D21S11.

The Applicable Dental Age Estimation Methods for Children and Adolescents in Indonesia.

Indonesia is an archipelagic country bordered by tectonically active zones with intense seismicity and volcanism. This condition is often associated with a high-risk situation of disasters in Indonesia. Forensic identification is a necessary procedure to reveal an individual's identity. An identity, including sex and age, is needed to build a conclusion of human identification. Dental age estimation is a subfield of forensic odontology which focuses on establishing an individual's age. Tooth development, biochemical, and postformation changes are the parameters for estimating dental age. This review discusses the applicable dental age estimation method for children and adolescents in Indonesia. Several articles that have previously studied dental age estimation in Indonesia were reviewed for this manuscript. On reviewing these articles, it was found that the Demirjian method, the Willems method, and the Al Qahtani method are useful in this population with higher accuracy than other methods.

THE APPLICATION OF CELL-FREE FETAL DNA (cff-DNA) AND SIBLINGS DNA METHODS IN THE PROCESS OF PATERNITY TEST THROUGH CODIS STR LOCI (CSF1PO, THO1, TPOX, AND vWA).

BACKGROUND: The non-invasive cff-DNA and siblings DNA methods are the latest breakthroughs in the forensic identification process. The use of cff-DNA and siblings DNA as non-invasive techniques in the forensic identification process has, hitherto, not been widely proven. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This was an analytic observational study. The sample of this study consisted of peripheral blood of women in the second trimester of pregnancy and their two biological children. The kinship analysis was carried out through siblings' DNA and cff-DNA from the mothers through CODIS STR loci (CSF1PO, THO1, TPOX, and vWA). RESULTS: The means of allele sharing between full siblings in loci CSF1PO, THO1, TPOX, and vWA were 0 (13.75%), 1 (44.75%), and 2 (41.50%). The allele sharing found in the study is in line with the one in previous research conducted by Wenk (1998) and the theory proposed by O'Connor (2011), indicating that one allele sharing dominates, contrasting with the finding of previous research conducted by Sosiawan (2020) revealing that 2-allele sharing was more superior. The variation is caused by the ethnicity having a different genetic contribution among the population. The variation can be attributed to historical and demographical processes leading to genetic drift. CONCLUSION: The mean of SI in 1 allele sharing in CODIS STR loci (CSF1PO, THO1, TPOX, and vWA) has the highest value of 44.5%. The use of cff-DNA of pregnant women as one of the non-invasive techniques can serve as an alternative material in a paternity test.