Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital, Mumbai, India
*Corresponding Author Dr. Hemlata Pandey (Assistant Professor- Odontology Consultant), Email address: drhemlata.pandey@kem.edu, Mobile No: +91 8879066856
Online published on 15 May, 2021.
Forensic Odontology is that branch of dentistry which deals with evidence related to teeth and maxillo-facial region, pertaining to recognition, collection, evaluation, analysis, reporting and presentation of dental evidence. Bites, in the form of pattern injury are sources of physical evidence and owing to the presence of saliva which can be swabbed for DNA as per standard protocols of forensic examination, they are also a source of biological evidence. In this paper, a case of sexual assault and homicide of a minor girl, involving bite mark evidence is presented. Bite mark evidence, if analysed, must be handled with utmost sensitivity as skin is a dynamic tissue and the pattern is not always recorded with clarity. However, when the pattern of injury is clear and undistorted, it can prove to be crucial in such forensic investigations involving should crimes against women and children.
Forensic Odontology, Dental evidence, Sexual assault, Bite mark analysis
