ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a general overview of the role of the dentition in forensic anthropology and a synthesis of tooth anatomy and dental morphology, dental numbering systems, and common dental anomalies and pathologies. Estimating the biological profile for an unknown individual is a crucial part of forensic anthropology, bioarchaeology, and paleodemography. Teeth are often recovered in forensic cases, mass disasters, armed conflicts, and mass graves associated with human rights violations, all of which may produce mass casualties or commingled remains. Owing to its vast postmortem longevity, dentition is an important tool in determining the biological profile and
Introduction 111 General overview of dentition in forensic anthropology 112 Tooth anatomy and dental morphology 112
Tooth anatomy 113 Dental numbering systems 115 Dental morphology 116 Common dental anomalies and pathologies 122
Genetic dental anomalies 122 Environmental dental anomalies 122
Summary 123 Review questions 123 Glossary 123 References 124 Suggested readings 124
identity of an individual. Please refer to Appendix A for applications of dentition in forensic anthropology (i.e., determining age, sex, and ancestry from dental features).
