Dental Anomalies: An Identification Marker in Forensics

Area of Science:

• Anthropology
• Forensic Science
• Odontology

Background:

• Dental morphological traits, or non-metric dental traits, show significant variation within and between populations.
• Understanding these variations is crucial for population genetics and forensic anthropology.
• Limited data exists on the prevalence of these traits in the South Indian population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the prevalence of 20 non-metric dental traits in the South Indian population.
• To identify common traits that could be useful for human identification.
• To contribute to the understanding of dental trait distribution in diverse ethnic groups.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 500 extracted tooth samples from the South Indian population.
• Systematic evaluation of 20 specific non-metric dental traits, including Carabelli trait, shovel incisor, and radix entomolaris.
• Statistical analysis of trait prevalence within the study cohort.

Main Results:

• Fourteen of the 20 evaluated non-metric dental traits were identified as common.
• High prevalence rates were observed for Carabelli trait (52%), dilaceration (58.2%), radix entomolaris (39.6%), and shovel incisor (8.2%).
• Other notable traits included peg-shaped lateral incisor (7.4%) and interruption groove (2.2%).

Conclusions:

• Carabelli traits, radix entomolaris, and dilaceration are highly prevalent in the South Indian population.
• These prevalent traits can serve as valuable markers for human identification in forensic contexts.
• The findings enhance our understanding of dental trait diversity and its forensic applications.