Priority Action Report

Odontology

Crime Scene / Death Investigation

Robert E Barsley

February 13, 2017
Subcommittee Leadership

Position Name Organization Term Email

Chair Robert Barsley LSUHSC-SOD 1st 2018 rbarsl@lsuhsc.edu

Vice Chair David Senn UTHSC-SA SOD 2nd 2019 senn@uthscsa.edu

Executive 

Secretary

Roger Metcalf Tarrant Cty ME 1st 2017 Metcalfdds@gmail.com

2
Subcommittee Members

# Name Organization Term Email

1 David Banks Duke Univ 2019-1 banks@stat.duke.edu

2 Bob Barsley LSUHSC-SOD /ABFO 2018-1 rbarsl@lsuhsc.edu

3 Paula Brumit Self-employed / ABFO 2019-1 lovtx@aol.com

4 Mary Bush SUNY at Buffalo 2017-1 bushma@buffalo.edu

5 Mary Cimrmancic Marquette U SOD 2018-1 mary.cimrmancic@marquette.edu

6 Larry Dobrin NYC-OCME / ABFO 2017-1 the.dobie@comcast.net

7 Carla Evans U Illinois at Chicago 2019-2 caevans@uic.edu

8 Adam Freeman Self employed / ABFO 2018-1 drafreeman@westportdental.com

9 Jim Lewis AL Dept Forensic Sciences / ABFO 2017-1 jmlewisdmd@knology.net

10 Peter Loomis NMOMI / ABFO 2018-1 peterdds@msn.com

11 Jim McGivney Self-employed / ABFO 2019-2 mcgivney.jim@gmail.com

12 Roger Metcalf Tarrant County ME / ABFO 2017-1 metcalfdds@gmail.com

13 Haskell Pitluck Retired 2018-1 pitluck@mc.net

14 David Senn UTHSC-SA SOD / ABFO 2019-2 senn@uthscsa.edu

15 Calvin Shiroma USN 2019-2 calvin.y.shiroma.civ@mail.mil

16 Sharon Stanford ADA 2018-1 stanfords@ada.org

17 Warren Tewes OCME – MD / ABFO 3 2018-1 tewesdds@ocmemd.org
Affiliates - in 4 Task Groups

# Name Organization Term Email

1 Alissa Bjerkhoel CA Innocence Project N/A abjerkhoel@cwsl.edu

2 Frank Damann Nat’l Museum Health & Medicine N/A fedamann@gmail.com

3 John Filippi Self employed / ABFO N/A forendds@aol.com

4 Ken Hermsen Creighton Univ - SOD N/A kenhermson@creighton.edu

5 Kathleen Kasper Self employed / ABFO N/A xfiles11@aol.com

6 Jack Kenney Joint POW/MIA Acct Com CIL / ABFO N/A frnscdds@aol.com

7 Holland Maness Self employed / ABFO N/A manessholland@gmail.com

8 John Melville Akron Children’s Hospital N/A jmelville@chmca.org

9 Melissa Mourges NYC – Office of District Attorney N/A mourgesm@dany.nyc.gov

10 Cristiana Pereira Univ of Lisbon N/A cristiana.pereira@fmd.ul.pt

11 Iain Pretty Univ Manchester N/A iain.a.pretty@manchester.ac.uk

12 Graham Roberts King’s College – Dental Institute N/A graham.j.roberts@kcl.ac.uk

13 Duane Spencer Self employed / ABFO N/A snoopydds@aol.com

14 Bob Wood Univ Toronto N/A bob.wood@uhn.on.ca

15 Frank Wright Self employed / ABFO N/A frankwright@gmail.com

16 New members pending

17 4
Discipline Description

Forensic Odontology: 

The application of dentistry to legal 

issues including, but not limited to, 

human identification, bitemark 

analysis, age estimation, litigation, 

oral and facial injuries, and human 

abuse and neglect.

5
Summary of Priority Projects

Priority OSAC 

Process Working Title of Document

High SDO Forensic Dental Data Set

High SDO Dental Identification

High Final Draft Aging

High TG Bitemark

High SAC Odontology Glossary

6
Standards/Guidelines Development

Priority 1 Document

• Document Title: ANSI/ADA Standard No. 1058, Forensic 

Dental Data Set

Scope: Defines significant Forensic Odontology Terms

Objective/rationale: Utilized by ANSI/NIST ITL as the current 

standard for the transmission of forensic dental data

Issues/Concerns: May be superseded by a ISO standard in the 

process of development

7

Task Group Name: Dental Identification Task Group

Task Group Chair Name: Peter Loomis

Task Group Chair Contact Information: peterdds@msn.com

Date of Last Task Group Meeting: August 2016
Standards/Guidelines Development

Priority 1 Document

Key Components of Standard: 

Uniform nomenclature for forensic dental data with standardized terms to 

convey information for human identification.

8
Task Group/Subcommittee Action 

Plan

Planned Actions

OSAC Process 

Stage (e.g., 

SDO 100) 

Assignee Estimated

Completion Date

Move to Registry RA-200

Review 

Registry 

Request 

submission

CS/DI Committee 2017

Priority 2: Human Identification by Comparative 

Dental Analysis

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Standards/Guidelines Development

Priority 2 Document

Document Title: 

ADA Technical Report No. 1088, Human Identification by Comparative Dental Analysis

Scope: 

To develop a recommend set of guidelines for the process of identifying humans by 

comparative dental analysis. 

Objective/rationale: 

To create awareness and provide education for the dental practitioner on the forensic 

odontology identification process as well as understand what information may be required 

should the need for them to participate occurs. This report will establish current best 

practices for this process based on consensus collaboration and current technology. 

Issues/Concerns: None at this time

Task Group Name: Dental Identification Task Group

Task Group Chair Name: Peter Loomis

Task Group Chair Contact Information: peterdds@msn.com

Date of Last Task Group Meeting: August 2016

10
Standards/Guidelines Development

Priority 2 Document

Key Components of Guideline: Comprehensive overview of the forensic 

odontology process of human identification by comparative dental analysis 

including scientific background of process, technology utilized and 

interpretation of ante and post mortem dental evidence and data.

• Scientific Methods of Human Identification

• Collection and Preservation of Antemortem Dental Evidence

• Collection and Preservation of Postmortem Dental Evidence

• Dental Comparison

• Terminology

• Dental Identification Software

• Missing and Unidentified Person Databases

11
Task Group/Subcommittee Action 

Plan

Planned Actions

OSAC Process 

Stage (e.g., 

SDO 100) 

Assignee Estimated

Completion Date

Move to SDO SDO-900 SDO 

public 

comment 

opens

ADA 2017

Priority 2: Human Identification by Comparative 

Dental Analysis

12
Standards/Guidelines Development

Priority 3 Document

Document Title: (proposed) ADA Technical Report No. 1077, Human Chronological Age Range Estimation by Comparative Tooth Development Analysis

Scope: (PROPOSED) To develop a recommend set of guidelines for assessment of an 

individual’s chronologic age through scientific evaluation of the dentition and surrounding 

structures. 

Objective/rationale: (PROPOSED) The goal of this technical report is to establish current 

best practices for this the process of human dental age assessment based on the most up 

to date technology.

Dental age assessment in the deceased includes estimation of the age at death to narrow 

search parameters and thereby assist in the identification of missing and unidentified 

individuals. In the living, it is utilized to assisted in answering questions regarding 

immigration, legal age of majority and legal age of license. 

Issues/Concerns: Discussion between SME and technical writer

Task Group Name: Dental Aging Task Group

Task Group Chair Name: Kathy Kasper

Task Group Chair Contact Information: xfiles11@aol.com

Date of Last Task Group Meeting: August 2016

13
Standards/Guidelines Development

Priority 3 Document

• Standards – The odontologist:

• 1. shall provide appropriate and accurate assessments of chronologic age 

utilizing scientific methodology. 

• 2. shall be familiar with currently recommended age assessment methods 

and shall utilize the appropriate age assessment method(s) for the case at 

hand. 

• 3. shall consider all available information, including sex, ancestry, population 

specificity, biological information and environmental factors. 

• 4. shall utilize the most appropriate statistical data to apply in the 

assessment of an individual’s chronologic age. 

• 5. shall, when practical, use multiple independent statistical methodologies 

and shall report the results of each independent statistical method utilized. 

• 6. shall precisely follow the specific methodology outlined, including 

morphologic staging and criteria measurements, within the study being 

utilized for the selected age assessment technique when estimating 

chronologic age. 

• 7. shall, when the technique utilized allows, include a probability statement 

that the individual has attained the age in question for immigration and legal 

age of majority cases. 

14
Standards/Guidelines Development

Priority 3 Document

Summary:

The final age assessment, results from the dental 

provider’s expert judgment by considering all available 

information. Conclusion statements specific to each 

methodology employed should include an estimated 

mean age and age interval and an associated rate of 

uncertainty. When the information is available, the rate of 

uncertainty should statistically consider 95% of the 

specific population, or two standard deviations. If the 

peer reviewed published scientific study(s) utilized to 

assess chronologic age do not provide two standard 

deviation statistical rates of uncertainty, then, the rate of 

uncertainty defined by that study should be clearly stated 

in the forensic report.

15
Task Group/Subcommittee Action 

Plan

Planned Actions

OSAC Process 

Stage (e.g., 

SDO 100) 

Assignee Estimated

Completion Date

Adopt by subcommittee SDO 300 Kasper April 2017

Approval by SAC SDO 450 Davis Fall 2017

Submit to SDO SDO 450 Barsley Oct. 2017

Accepted BY SDO SDO 700 ADA Nov 2017

Priority 3: Dental Aging

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Standards/Guidelines Development

Priority 4 Document

Document Title: BM guidelines and Standards

Scope:

Objective/rationale:

Issues/Concerns: scope of document, generate consensus

Task Group Name: Bitemark Task Group

Task Group Chair Name: Jim Lewis

Task Group Chair Contact Information: jmlewisdmd@knology.net

Date of Last Task Group Meeting: August 2016

17
Standards/Guidelines Development

Priority 4 Document

Key Components of Standard: 

Task Group is being reorganized

18
Task Group/Subcommittee Action 

Plan

Planned Actions

OSAC Process 

Stage (e.g., 

SDO 100) 

Assignee Estimated

Completion Date

Subcommittee / TG debate SDO-0 BM TG Continue in April

Write the document SDO-0 BM TG

Priority 4: Bitemarks

19
Standards/Guidelines Development

Priority 5 Document

Document Title: Human Abuse Oral/Peri-oral Injury

Scope: Recommended guidelines for forensic practitioners and dentists to recognize and evaluate signs of abuse orally and 

peri-orally. 

Objective/rationale: Guidelines to differentiate non-accidental 

injuries versus accidental and/or medical/physical conditions 

that mimic abuse injuries

Issues/concerns: Awaiting further feedback from TG members and 

affiliates. Reviewing ADA Guidelines on Abuse and Neglect last revised 

in 2010

Task Group Name: Oral/Peri-oral Injury TG

Task Group Chair Name: Larry Dobrin

Task Group Chair Contact Information: the.dobie@comcast.net

Date of Last Task Group Meeting: August 2016

20
Standards/Guidelines Development

Priority 5 Document

Key Components of Standard: work in progress 

Oral/Peri-Oral Injury recognition:

• Child Abuse

• Elder Abuse

• Domestic Abuse

• Partner Abuse

21
Task Group/Subcommittee Action 

Plan

Planned Actions

OSAC Process 

Stage (e.g., 

SDO 100) 

Assignee Estimated

Completion Date

Subcommittee / TG 

discussions

TG Dobrin 2018

Write the document TG Dobrin 2018

Priority 5: Human Abuse

22
Summary of Priority Projects

Priority OSAC 

Process Working Title of Document

High SDO Forensic Dental Data Set

High SDO Dental Identification

High Final Draft Aging

High RA-0 Bitemark

High SAC Odontology Glossary

23
Standards/Guidelines Reviewed For 

Technical Merit

Title Developing 

Organization Status* OSAC Process Stage (e.g., RA 100)

Forensic Dental Data Set ADA approved RA-200 

Review Registry 

Request submission 

Human Identification by Comparative Dental 

Analysis

ADA Public 

Review

RA-0 Start

Human Chronological Age Range Estimation 

by Comparative Tooth Development Analysis

ADA First Draft RA-0 Start

24
Research & Development Needs Identified

• 3D Imaging of patterned injuries on human skin

• Development of 3D databases of human dentitions

• Reliability of Bitemark Analysis Methodology

• Quality & quantity of concordant features required for human 

identification

• Phenotyping Of Tooth Shape and Tooth Color

• Specific Population Studies in Dental Age Assessment

• Critical Comparison of Dental Age Assessment Methods

• Impact of Cognitive Bias

25
Additional Items of Interest

• Members are working with the ASB Patterned Injury Consensus 

Body

• Link to Baseline documents: https://www.nist.gov/file/280726

• Link to Research needs: https://www.nist.gov/topics/forensicscience/osac-research-development-needs (Odontology)

26
Priority Action Report

Odontology

Crime Scene / Death Investigation

Robert E Barsley

February 13, 2017