[Personal identification of a skull by a complete denture--application of superimposition and X-ray computed...

Personal identification from dentures is one of the main method used in the field of forensic odontology. When examining whether a denture left at investigation scene belongs to an unknown set of skeletal remains, it is not difficult to establish identity between the partial denture and the jaw of the skull by comparison of the number and kind of defective teeth and the degree of fit of the retainer to the abutment teeth. However, it is more troublesome to demonstrate identity between a complete denture and a skull since the morphological characteristics of the denture base, including the arrangement of the artificial teeth, have to be compared with those of the surfaces of the jawbones, which cannot be observed from the outside. In cases like this, superimposition and X-ray computed tomography are effective for establishing proof of identity. The method of superimposition involves taking an impression of the upper jaw to prepare a plaster model. A photograph of the denture applied to the plaster model is then taken and another photograph of the plaster model is obtained after removal of the denture under the same conditions. The former photo is printed on a transparent film and then superimposed on the latter. This method is useful for comparison between the arrangement of artificial teeth and the crest of the alveolar ridge, and between the shape of the polished (external) surface of the denture and the shape of the alveolar ridge.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)