1Senior lecturer, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, A B Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences, NITTE University, Manglore
2Professor & Head, Dept. of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, K.S. Hegde Medical Academy, NITTE University, Mangalore
3Principal & Dean, A B Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences, NITTE University, Manglore
4Prof. & Head, Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, A B Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences, NITTE University, Manglore
*Corresponding Author: E Mail Id: drkumudarao@yahoo.in
Online published on 28 January, 2019.
As crimes are committed with highly sophisticated methods and procedures, newer techniques need to be developed and improved in Forensic as well as crime scene investigations by applying the benefits of newly emergent and appropriate technological resources. Facial approximations, developed using 3D sculpting technique, would be enhanced by the availability of modern, well-defined, consistent, and statistically robust soft tissue data—a situation which is still emerging in craniofacial soft tissue depth research. In such scenario Cone Beam Computed Tomography offers distinct advantages over other technology in developing facial approximations for forensic identification utility as it is noninvasive and economical.
The study has been carried out by measuring the Facial Soft Tissue Thickness using craniometric and capulometric landmarks that covers anatomical landmarks of the skull, among 20 subjects, aged between 18 to 30 years.
The results of this study revealed a set of unique Facial Soft Tissue Thickness measurements of the Coastal Karnataka and North Kerala population that might be useful for facial reconstruction purposes and also to establish sexual dimorphism in relation to Facial Soft Tissue Thicknesses. The study results also imply that Cone Beam Computed Tomography can be positively used to record facial soft tissue thickness measurements for forensic utility.
In forensic cases, where identification has been difficult due to nonavailability of ante-mortem records, efforts will be made for reconstruction of the face of a bare skull devoid of soft tissue. This study is useful to assess the correlation between craniofacial shape and softtissue profile from data analyzed by Cone Beam Computed Tomography imaging, so as to determine the extent to which it might be possible to digitally predict the latter from the former.
Facial Soft Tissue Thickness, Identification, Facial Reconstruction, Cone-Beam Computed Tomography, Forensic Anthropology Population Data
