Identifier

etd-0331103-130706

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Geography and Anthropology

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

The use of dentition for identification has been well established in the field of forensics. However, dental analysis has been employed primarily for positive personal identification. The purpose of this thesis research is to explore the possibility of using dental characteristics for general profiling of the decedent. Dental characteristics, including caries and dental restorations, were examined in the dentition of 41 modern forensic cases in the LSU FACES Collection. Twenty-one of these cases are positively identified individuals whose remains were donated to the university. The other 20 cases are active forensic cases which have not been identified. The general profiling information, including sex, age, race, and socioeconomic status, was compared with the dental characteristics to determine any correlations between the categories. In the 20 unidentified cases, socioeconomic status was not known and, therefore, these cases were not analyzed for socioeconomic status correlations. Many significant relationships exist between the dental characteristics and the identifiers, sex, race, age, and socioeconomic status. Socioeconomic status has the least number of correlations. Age and race have the most.

Date

2003

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Mary H. Manhein

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.2147

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