Forensic Dentistry Trivia Quiz

Answer: forensic odontology

Odontology is the study of teeth. Forensic dentistry or odontology involves the identification of bodies by the teeth, jaws and bones of the skull and face, as well as the investigation of bite-marks and other trauma to the mouth and face.

Answer: 32

Human beings usually have two sets of teeth during their lifetime. The first set are known as deciduous teeth (also known as baby, milk or primary teeth). There are 20 deciduous teeth which normally begin to appear about the age of 6 months to 6 years.

The second set are known as permanent or secondary teeth. There are 32 permanent teeth and they normally begin to appear between the ages of 6 to 18 years. They do not appear all at once but erupt in specific stages, so scientists can often make an accurate estimate of the age of a skeleton by the number and type of teeth present and the amount of wear and tear.

Answer: All three statements are true.

Sometimes teeth can indicate occupation; for example, people who sew, such as dressmakers and tailors, often have notches in their teeth from biting threads. Sometimes teeth can indicate ethnic background; for example, many Asian and Native American Indian groups have a characteristic called "(Asian) shovel teeth".

In this condition, the incisors have a scooped out back. People of Anglo-Saxon heritage tend to have incisors with a straight back. Age can be estimated by the number and type of teeth present as well as the amount of wear and tear.

Answer: enamel

Enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, even harder than bone, so teeth are the last part of the body to decompose or be destroyed in an accident. If the body is incinerated, teeth can withstand extreme temperatures (up to 1600 degrees Celsius). Thus, dental records can still be used even when bodies are burned and blasted beyond recognition. About 80% of identifications of unknown victims can be made on dental evidence alone, although in reality identifications are made using all available evidence.

Answer: Agrippina (fourth wife)

Agrippina was both the niece and fourth wife of the Emperor Claudius. Her victim was Lollia Paulina, allegedly the mistress of Claudius. Agrippina did not recognise the head when it was first brought to her. However, when she opened the mouth, she recognised her victim by a distinctive discoloured tooth.

Answer: William the Conqueror

According to legend, William the Conqueror (or William I) used to secure his mail with sealing wax imprinted with his bite-mark. His teeth were misaligned, creating a distinctive pattern which made it easy to determine the authenticity of his letters and documents.

Answer: Paul Revere

Paul Revere made a silver and ivory dental bridge for Dr Joseph Warren, a general in Washington's Army during the American War of Independence. The general was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill and buried in an unmarked grave with several other soldiers.

A year after the battle, the bodies were recovered and Paul Revere identified Dr Warren's body on the basis of the bridgework he had done.

Answer: Ted Bundy

Ted Bundy was arrested in February 1978 and went on trial for the "sorority house murders" in June 1979. He declared his innocence and conducted his own defence. He was convicted largely on the evidence that his teeth matched bite marks found on one of his victims, Lisa Levy, and he was executed by electrocution in January 1989.

There were 23 known Bundy victims from all over the United States between 1974 and 1978, however, it is believed that Ted Bundy may have been responsible for as many as 35 to 40 murders.

Answer: dingo

Forensic dentistry is also used to distinguish human teeth from animal teeth, or to distinguish whether marks were actually made by teeth or not. In the Chamberlain case, forensic experts argued over whether the marks on the dead child's clothing were made by dingo teeth or a pair of blood-stained nail scissors found in the family car.

Answer: Did the victims of the "Black Death" really die of plague?

Yersinia pestis is the bacterium which causes bubonic plague. In recent years, scientists have been trying to ascertain if the epidemics of "Black Death" during the Middle Ages were indeed bubonic plague or whether they were some other disease. To investigate this, bodies of alleged plague victims have been exhumed and the tooth pulp has been extracted from the teeth. Because teeth are so resistant to decomposition, the DNA can be remarkably well preserved, even after centuries.

In some cases, the tooth pulp has confirmed the presence of DNA from Yersinia pestis.

However, in many cases, it appears that plague was incorrectly blamed as the cause of death.