no abstract.
Anthropology ; Forensic Anthropology

DNA analysis has become one of the most powerful tools in forensic inference for human identification and is now used worldwide. It is used to be statistical technique for the individual identification of a civil and criminal action. The purpose of this article is computerization of the statistical technique for the population study and DNA evidence analysis. The system using SAS/AF and SAS/SCL is the graphic user interface and the correspondence of the changed experimental circumstances.
Criminals ; DNA* ; Forensic Anthropology ; Humans

PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate the uniqueness and reliability of the frontal sinuses by comparing various patterns of frontal sinus as observed on Waters' radiographs for individual identification. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three Waters' radiographs of 100 individuals, taken on day one, after 6-8 months, and one radiograph with a slight variation in angulation, to mimic conditions out in the field or during autopsy. Three observers were randomly given radiographs from all there packets for comparisons and identification, by the method of superimposition and individual uniqueness. RESULTS: The comparative identification by superimposition of the frontal sinus was 100% positive. The size, shape, unilateral or bilateral presence, absence, and septa were observed to be unique in each case; neither had the measurements changed over a period of time. CONCLUSION: The need to establish a reliable, low-cost, and easily reproducible method for human identification prompted the elaboration of technical, precise, and accessible parameters, such as the evaluation of the area, asymmetry, and shape of the frontal sinus. Comparison among each of the frontal sinuses of the 100 people in the sample revealed that no two sinuses are the same, that is, the sinus is unique to each individual.
Autopsy ; Forensic Anthropology ; Forensic Dentistry ; Frontal Sinus ; Humans ; Hydrazines

Facial reconstruction is a way to recover facial morphology by restoring soft tissues based on unidentified skulls using the knowledge of anatomy, anthropology, aesthetics, and computer science. It is applied in forensic science, oral plastic surgery and archeology, and especially plays an important role in the identification of the origin of the unknown corpses in forensic science. Facial reconstruction is the supplementary means of identification when other approaches （such as DNA comparison, imaging matching, dental records comparison, etc.） cannot identify individual identity. Facial soft tissue thickness （FSTT） is the basis of facial reconstruction and with the development of imaging and computer science, the techniques for measuring FSTT are improving rapidly and many related researches have appeared. This paper summarizes the application of facial reconstruction in forensic science, the accuracy of different methods and the research progress of this field to provide reference to this field.
Face/surgery* ; Forensic Anthropology ; Forensic Sciences ; Research ; Skull/surgery*

Forensic dentistry is an interdiscipline of forensic medicine and stomatology, which provides legal information by collecting, testing and assessing the dental evidence scientifically. In this review, the present application of forensic dentistry has been described, such as the estimation of age, sex, species, occupation and living habit, as well as the identification of individual, domestic violence or abuse, which aims to enrich and improve forensic dentistry for making it be more useful in forensic medicine even in juridical practice.
Age Determination by Teeth ; Forensic Anthropology ; Forensic Dentistry/methods* ; Forensic Medicine ; Humans ; Tooth

The role of forensic anthropology is to reconstruct the process of individual death by predicting the cause and manner of death as well as to find out biological profiles of unknown skeletal remains based on the data of physical anthropology. The purpose of this study is to suggest the data of decision-making process for cranial fractures and its related weapons of skeletal remains from the forensic fields. A hammer (31.7%) and baseball bat (16.7%) represented almost half of the blunt type of weapon used in the cranial fracture. The linear fracture was caused by most of weapons, the spider's web and depressed fracture by the hammer, and the comminuted fracture by the heavy tools such as maul, wrench, etc as well as the hammer. By the chi-square test, there were significant differences between fracture patterns and types of weapon that it was helpful to estimate the weapon of cranial fracture for forensic anthropological decisions. Conclusively, we could prepare the priority order of estimating cause and manner of death in the case of cranial fracture for the forensic context and suggest research design of physical anthropology about osteological biomechanics and taphonomy relating cranial fractures.
Anthropology, Physical ; Baseball ; Biomechanics ; Forensic Anthropology ; Fractures, Comminuted ; Research Design ; Skull ; Weapons

Forensic anthropology is helpful for correct and fast identification of unknown individuals in mass disaster or from unidentified skeletal remains. It is based on the data of the physical anthropology and applied to the identification in many countries. The purpose of this study is to statistically analyze the 290 forensic records by an office request at NISI during 6 years and to suggest the research model for physical anthropological data that would be helpful to be used at the forensic field. The most common excavated bone was a hard bone as skull and long bones and an unknown place was the most common excavation seat over 50% among the recording place. The probability of excavation with adjacent bone was high and the small sized bones, such as phalanges of hand and foot, were excavated rarely. The incomplete or fragmented bones were found more frequently than of complete. For this reason, we think that will show the priority order of the forensic and physical anthropologic studies in Korea and the necessity of the anatomical education for police officers and inspectors of forensic fields.
Anthropology, Physical ; Disasters ; Foot ; Forensic Anthropology ; Hand ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Korea ; Mitochondrial Diseases ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Police ; Skull

Microscopic analysis of bone is very useful method for estimating age at death of individual identification, diagnosing metabolic disorder or dietary deficiency in bone tissue, and differentiating human bone or not when applied to fragmentary skeletal remains. The purpose of this study was to establish a systematic method for preparing bone tissues by manual grinding method and offer help in application of related histomorphometric field such as estimating age at death. For this, human bone tissues of rib and femur from cadavers were prepared and considered histomorphological variations of osteon with light microscope. As results of this study, Type II osteons, smaller versions of Intact osteons (Type I) that form by radial remodeling of a preexisting Haversian canal, were distinguished from double-zonal osteons, one of the osteons that exhibit hypercalcified ring within their concentric lamellae, by the lack of an internal reversal line and the parallel contours of lamellae, and it is possible to suggest metric basis for drifting osteons as counting one osteon with the exception of size measurement. By applying this method of present study, one could easily make a bone tissue all oneself that would be helpful for establishing basic data in physical and forensic anthropology.
Bone and Bones ; Cadaver ; Femur ; Forensic Anthropology* ; Haversian System ; Humans ; Ribs

Panoramic radiography, which can show dental characteristics in one film and evaluate postmortem information, may be highly valuable in human identification. The purpose of this study is to evaluate usefulness of human identification with dental characteristics shown in panoramic radiography through panoramic radiographies of 300 randomly selected patients who visited Yonsei University Dental Hospital. Dental characteristics of each film were classified into 8 types and diversity of dental characteristics was evaluated by turning the informations into codes. Diversity of panoramic radiography using both maxillary and mandibular dental characteristics was 99.58%. When mandibular dental characteristic (98.99%) was used alone, the diversity was found to be higher than that of maxillary dental characteristic (97.92%). Maxillary dental characteristics showed diversity in the order of right molars (92.32%), left molars (92.02%), and incisors (41.54%), while that of mandible was in the order of right molars (96.09%), left molars (95.70%), and incisors (18.97%). As a result, human identification using panoramic radiography proved to be useful not only when the whole teeth are present but also when only molars are present. Therefore, it is expected to be applied more economically and practically in identifying a large number of victims from mass disasters as well as wars.
Disasters ; Forensic Anthropology* ; Humans* ; Incisor ; Mandible ; Molar ; Radiography, Panoramic* ; Tooth

This study was designed for the facial reconstruction of Father Dae -Gun (Andrea) Kim, who is the first priest in Korea. The study was entrusted by Seoul great parish, Myeongdong Cathedral and was conducted during 15 months from September 1999. To reconstruct the face of Father Dae -Gun (Andrea) Kim, we used photographs and metric data of Father Dae -Gun (Andrea) Kim's skull, which was measured by Department of Anatomy, Catholic Medical College at 1971. Based on above data, we found a skull similar to Father Dae -Gun (Andrea) Kim, replicated it, and modified it to be consistent with that of Father Dae -Gun (Andrea) Kim measured at 1971. The face of Father Dae -Gun (Andrea) Kim was reconstructed on the modified replica of Father Dae -Gun (Andrea) Kim's skull using the forensic anthropological data about the average skin depth and the relationships of skull morphology to facial features of Korean. The average skin depth of Korean face was obtained from direct measurement of cadavers and indirect measurement of live Korean using ultrasonography. The result of facial reconstruction of Father Dae -Gun (Andrea) Kim was made as the bronze bust. The forensic anthropologic method such as facial reconstruction is one of the methods to identify unidentified -skull. This study is the first facial reconstruction on the base of Korean physical anthropological data and is thought to be helpful to the facial reconstruction for identification.
Cadaver ; Fathers* ; Forensic Anthropology ; Humans ; Korea ; Seoul ; Skin ; Skull ; Ultrasonography