title: 3-D imaging and quantitative comparison of human dentitions and simulated bite marks.
abstract: This study presents a technique developed for 3-D imaging and quantitative comparison of human dentitions and simulated bite marks. A sample of 42 study models and the corresponding bites, made by the same subjects in acrylic dental wax, were digitised by laser scanning. This technique allows image comparison of a 3-D dentition with a 3-D bite mark, eliminating distortion due to perspective as experienced in conventional photography. Cartesian co-ordinates of a series of landmarks were used to describe the dentitions and bite marks, and a matrix was created to compare all possible combinations of matches and non-matches using cross-validation techniques. An algorithm, which estimated the probability of a dentition matching its corresponding bite mark, was developed. A receiver operating characteristic graph illustrated the relationship between values for specificity and sensitivity. This graph also showed for this sample that 15% of non-matches could not be distinguished from the true match, translating to a 15% probability of falsely convicting an innocent person.
authors.affiliation: Oral Anatomy, Medicine and Surgery Unit, School of Dental Science, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 720 Swanston Street, 3010, Victoria, Australia. sherie@unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Blackwell
authors.forename: R V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Ogleby
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanijiri
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshino
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Donald
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Clement
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D001734:Bites, Human / Q000473:pathology*; D003761:Dental Impression Technique; D003817:Dentition; D005553:Forensic Dentistry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D007834:Lasers; D003765:Models, Dental; D009811:Odontometry; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity