Forensic Dentistry at its best

The time has come once again, for us to enlighten you on the developments of this mysterious case. We know you’re excited to see us again (hopefully) . So, sit back and enjoy the ride as we guide you through another part of the assignment(Part 3) =D

             

We shall start off with question 5 of part 3.

In this question we were asked to match the photos of the victims’ pieces of evidence and explain our rationale for doing so.

Hence, below we have posted the picture of evidences that were gathered, followed by our analysis of the structures in each picture and how it helps us determine the victims.


Picture 1: Adult 's skull & jaw

Skull: 

• Large (Adult skulls are generally larger in size compared to children)

Temporal process of zygomatic bone : 

• More prominent ( Temporal process of zygomatic bone is more prominent in adults)

Orbits:

• Squarish with roundish margins ( Males tend to have a blunter, more rounded surface here, females a sharper border. Hence, indicating the evidence belongs to a male victim)

Dentition:   

• 8 alveolar processes of the mandibular arch in each quadrant.  (Adult have 8 alveolar processes in each quadrant while children have 5)
• A third molar at quadrant 4. (The eruption date of mandibular 3rd molars are between 17-21 years old. Hence, the victim's age would be at least 17 years old if not older)

Based on the Picture 1, we can deduce that the evidence possibly belonged to Herman Hartono or his son(Adi Hartono), both whom lived near the scene of the crime and have been reported missing.

Picture 2: Pieces of a jaw

Picture 2 showing a piece of broken jaw of an adult bearing the permanent mandibular 1st, 2nd and 3rd molars.

Mandible:

• Angle of mandible is more acute (Indicating it’s a male victim as angle of females are usually more obtuse to the lower jaw bone)

Dentition:

• All 3 molars are present, i.e. 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd molars

This is because the 3 molars can be easily distinguished from other teeth due to their features which are:

Permanent mandibular 1st molar:

• The root bifurcation mesiodistally
• Crown taper from buccal to lingual  
• Central groove zigzag mesiodistally

Permanent mandibular 2nd molar:

• 4 cusps 
• Straighter central groove
• Crown wider mesiodistally than faciolingually
• Lingual groove and buccal groove align to intersect with central groove like a '+'

Permanent mandibular 3rd molar(eruption date after 17 years old):

•  Smaller crown, smaller occlusal table compared to permanent 1st and 2nd molar
•  Resemble permanent 2nd molar but smaller
•  More rounded outline (occlusal aspect), bulbous appearance 
•  4 cusps

Since 3rd molars are only present in adults, this jaw may also belong to Herman Hartono or his son, Adi Hartono. At this point, there is insufficient information to determine the exact ages of both sets of evidence and hence match them directly to the victims. However, it is safe assume that the younger male victim(possibly Adi Hartono) is at least 17 years old. 

Picture 3: Child's jaw

Jaw: 

• Small in size (Children’s jaws are generally smaller than those of adults)

Dentition (Permanent mandibular canine):

From the picture given, its difficult to accurately identify if the canine present in the jaw is deciduous or permanent. However, based on our analysis, we strongly believe it’s a permanent mandibular canine. This is because:

-   the permanent mandibular lateral incisor is in the process of eruption (this tooth erupts at age 8-9 years as well) hence providing evidence that the canine present is likely to be a permanent one.

The presence of this permanent mandibular canine in the jaw also provides a possibility that the victim may indeed be Anya Rosilawati as she is 9 years old and both these teeth(permanent mandibular canine and permanent mandibular lateral incisor erupt at her age).

Mandibular angle:

• Obtuse angle ( More acute in adulthood or male, hence indicating that the victim is likely to be female)

Chin:

• More pointed chin ( Female mandible tend to have more pointed chin while male mandible have a square shape) 

Therefore, we can conclude that the jaw belonged to a child who might be Anya Rosilawati (9 years old)- who is filed missing 4 months ago.