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evidence. It is important that the odontologist limit his or her participation
at a crime scene to forensic dental evidence only.
17.6 Evaluate the Odontological Evidence Possibilities
This evaluation begins upon the odontologist’s arrival at the scene (or the
arrival of the evidence to the examination facility) and becomes detailed in
the preliminary survey stage. This step allows the forensic odontologist to
assess the type of odontological evidence encountered (if at all). Odontological
evidence possibilities vary greatly depending upon the nature of the incident
in question. The forensic dental evidence expected to be gleaned from skeletal
remains for identification purposes would constitute a wholly different subset
of odontological findings versus those expected to be present for a bitemark
analysis case.
At this assessment stage, the forensic dentist can begin to “piece together”
evidentiary relationships regarding not only the odontological evidence but
also related physical evidence. Examples would include inadvertent move-
ment of evidence prior to odontological evaluation, inappropriate or incor-
rect repatriation of skeletal remains (a female mandible with an obviously
male skull), intentional (contrived) movement or positioning of odontologi-
cal evidence, and the interaction of physical evidence with odontological
evidence (Dr. Souviron’s example of a bitemark victim’s clothing, visible on
initial crime scene photographs, impacting the bitemark analysis performed
on the unclothed body of the victim in the morgue—see Chapter 14). The
ability of the odontologist to provide this assessment is directly proportional
to the access granted to all physical evidence or any remote crime scenes or
body recovery sites.
17.7 Prepare a Narrative Description
This narrative is a running description of the conditions and evidence
encountered by the odontologist and can be written, an audio recording, or
a video recording. Use of a systematic approach in recording the narrative
description and maintenance of the same system or methodology throughout
the entire odontological assessment will produce the most consistent results.
While no item is too insignificant to record, should it catch the odontologist’s
attention, the narrative should not be permitted to degenerate into a sporadic
and unorganized attempt to record an entire crime scene or to speculate as
to motive or psychological states of perpetrators. Stay in your own lane, and
that lane is as a forensic dental consultant.