One tooth, six clues: How a single tooth can help in identifying deceased persons
A single tooth can contain valuable clues to a person's identity, even when remains are severely decomposed or reduced to bones, according to a study by researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo. By applying multiple forensic methods to different tissues within a single tooth, the researchers obtained six types of information about the deceased. This integrated approach could provide…
A study conducted by researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo has demonstrated that a single tooth can provide valuable forensic information to help identify deceased persons, even when remains are severely decomposed or reduced to bones. By applying multiple forensic methods to different tissues within a single tooth, the researchers were able to obtain six types of information about the deceased, including birth year, age at death, dietary patterns, potential geographic origin, drug exposure, biological sex, and DNA profile.
This integrated approach could provide complementary evidence to help identify unknown human remains when conventional methods are difficult to apply. The study, led by associate professor Hisako Saitoh and doctoral student Sayaka Yamada, built upon previous research that demonstrated the potential of multidisciplinary analysis of teeth and toenails to obtain multiple types of forensic information.
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