BAFO Newsletter – Spring 2014

Letter from the President

Welcome to our Spring 2014 edition. We

are in the process of developing and

improving the newsletter and hope that

you enjoy the changes. If any member has anything that

they wish considered for future editions, then please get in

touch with Roland Kouble (details on the website).

On a personal level, I’ve been thinking about how things are

for recent graduates in Forensic Odontology and how the

situation has changed over the decades. Essentially there

have been three or four eras, starting in the 80’s with the

London Hospital, then the 90’s with Hatfield and finally the

noughties until recently with Cardiff and Glamorgan.

It has always been the case that many people who obtain a

qualification in our subject end up doing little or no work and

end-up falling by the wayside. Perhaps they just did it for

interest or maybe circumstances conspired against them

with their home or work lives meaning that they were not

available to attend when the calls came, so the calls

stopped coming. Maybe the calls never came in the first

place. This in turn may be because the area they are in

already had an established Odontologist and the Police and

the local Coroner did not “need” anyone else for the

relatively few cases that come up. This is where mentoring

comes in.

The London era (45 graduates 1984-88) were probably

fortunate in having little in the way of competition – although

they also had the task of trying to establish and promote the

subject as a potential aid to the Criminal Justice System.

The Hatfield era (67 graduates, of which I am one 1990-99),

understood that there were pre-existing Odonts and that the

subject would be very interesting to learn about but “don’t

give up your day job”. Some of us, through patience and

perseverance, have over the years established ourselves

and are now known– but relatively few. Becoming known

has involved doing a lot of things for nothing, accepting this

as a means of getting ahead. I still do quite a lot of things for

nothing (despite promising myself I wouldn’t), even though I

don’t need them on my CV. This is to benefit the subject

and thus the younger members, some of whom will

gradually become the “known” themselves. I am not alone in

doing things for nothing; I just have to consider all the work

that the committee put in behind the scenes, with the

enormous tasks that BAFO are currently facing.

So what of the Cardiff/Glamorgan era (50-60 graduates)?

Any Master’s degree takes effort and commitment. You

probably go into it with a certain level of expectation for it

being useful in the future. I think there would be some who

had imagined that the MSc would immediately lead to lots of

interesting and challenging cases, film style exchanges in

court and a gradual replacement for drilling holes and filling

them in again. The reality is quite different.

We know, based on the presentations given on the Friday

afternoons of the November Conferences, that there have

been some very enthusiastic and capable individuals. Some

have stood out. Some will certainly be the future of the

subject in the UK, but who, is yet to be determined. One

thing is certain, it will not appear on a silver platter and will

not happen overnight – it never has. Something that I

imagine concerns recent graduates is lack of influence on

the future of BAFO etc. I have always advocated and

encouraged younger members to participate in the running

of BAFO. The current active committee is made up as

follows:

London era 3

Hatfield era 1

Cardiff/Glamorgan era 4

Others (e.g. Military/Academic) 4

Attending past Presidents 3

Roger Summers Unique

The past Presidents have no voting rights on the

Committee, but bring a wealth of experience, wisdom and

contacts. I think that the balance in the committee is about

right. It cannot be too young and it should not be too old.

We are renewing our efforts to formalize mentoring of less

experienced practitioners to ensure that the future of

Odontology will be with those that work at it. We must

ensure that those willing to put in the time and effort are

given the opportunities to progress and take the subject

forward. Your commitment must be to be available.

Phil Marsden

BAFO Exeter

2013 Conference

Friday 8th

November

The 2013 BAFO

conference was held

in the historic city of

Exeter with the hotel situated opposite the entrance to

Exeter Cathedral's picturesque entrance.

The Friday afternoon was chaired by Romina Carabott, and

consisted of a series of presentations given by the

Glamorgan Forensic Odontology MSc students.

Gayithri Sooriakumaran started the afternoon off with a

discussion titled: The role of dental professionals in the

detection of domestic

violence in primary care.

Her research was

undertaken using a

questionnaire that was sent

to 610 dental professionals.

Domestic violence occurs in

all income, ethnic,

education, age and sex

groups. It has also been shown that it is a key indicator for

child abuse.

The study found that the majority of respondents felt they

had a role to play in detecting domestic violence but that

there is a general lack of training for dental professionals.

Clearly with the current training focused on safeguarding

children and adults there seems to be an unfulfilled training

need for domestic violence training.

Ruth Newcombe followed with her research; a pilot study

looking into the accuracy of dental charting within the dental

team. 104 respondents took part in the study and carried

out charting on 4 volunteers who had impressions and

photos taken of their teeth. The charts done by the

respondents were compared with "gold-standard" charts

and some of the results are summarised below.

Results:

Error rates-

Notation- 15%. (Misidentification of premolars and molars/ missing

teeth)

Restoration- 30% (more amalgams noted than tooth coloured

restorations)

Rotations and displacements 95%

Distinguishing features- 80% (such as overlaps, spacing and centre

line shifts)

Camilla George gave her update of her research looking at

Hunter-Shreger Bands (HSBs) in tooth enamel. Hunter-

Shreger Bands (HSBs) under oblique reflected, light can be

seen as dark and light stripes of variable width in tooth

enamel. HSBs have been suggested as a possible method

of biometric identification when there is no soft tissue

remaining. Camilla's pilot study looked at the differences

between HSB patterns in porcine teeth to identify the origin

of source enamel. She looked at 29 human teeth and 10

porcine teeth. Statistically significant differences were found

between human and porcine enamel highlighting the

potential to identify species from analysis of the HSBs.

The potential role of lip prints as an adjunct to bite mark

analysis was the next topic of discussion presented by

Barbara Dufkova. Her study was triggered by the apparent

diminished value of bite mark evidence suggested by some

of the literature so the possibility of detecting and lifting

latent lip prints from around the bite mark was postulated as

a potential additional identifying feature. A total of 100

subjects (78 females and 22 males) took part in this study.

The participants printed their lips onto glossy photographic

paper to create a lip print pattern in both the closed and

open positions. The results showed that different areas

imprinted their pattern in varying lip positions and more

investigation into this area was required before this method

could be considered as viable.

Claire Mulquiney rounded the day off with a presentation

summarising the legal position regarding bite mark analysis.

The presentation covered the state of bite mark analysis in

Europe, North America and Australasia particularly in the

light of the "innocence movement".

Saturday 9th November

Saturday started with Dr Julie Roberts of Cellmark Forensic

Services giving the delegates a comprehensive presentation

on the anthropological aspects of crime scene recovery.

Julie started by

discussing the various

aspects of anthropology:

identification of remains,

assessing age at death,

assessing the sex and

stature of an individual

and the ancestry.

Various methods of identification were discussed briefly -

DNA, Odontology, Anthropology and Biological profiling.

Julie went on to discuss the process of grave excavation

and the importance of maintaining the integrity and original

profile of the grave. Examining the grave in detail looking for

spade marks and collecting pollen and soil samples from

the spade marks.

Julie then discussed various cases which gave examples of

role played by the forensic anthropologist. The cases

highlighted the principle of using a close resolution grid

search of the incident scene. Example cases included an

honour killing in Shropshire where a half skeletonised, half

decomposed body was recovered, and a house fire where

the remains of the victims were reconstructed following

sieving of the debris from the fire. The final case involved

the recovery of the remains of 6 military personnel from a

Warrior armoured vehicle that had been moved to Camp

Bastion. The principles of using a grid search were utilised

again on the interior of the vehicle to excavate and re-

assign the body parts.

Warrant Officer Paul Cooper was on next to give his

presentation on the role of the Royal Military Police. The

RMP provide a UK standard police response to crime and

death investigation. The types of incident investigate by the

RMP would include: improvised explosive device (IED)

incidents, IED clearance, enemy action fire fights, green on

blue fire fights and aircraft incidents.

Paul went on to run through the sequence involve in body

repatriation:

-deployment of MOD appointed undertakers

-processing of the body for repatriation

-flight to the UK with a police escort

-repatriation ceremony at RAF Brize Norton

-handover of case exhibits

-convoy to John Radcliffe Hospital

-review repatriation

-ID to Pathologist

-Post-mortem

-experts at PM

-PM DNA sampling

-re-unification of tissues

-bodies transported to place of rest

-inquest opened, body released for burial/cremation.

Next up with their presentations were Judy Hinchliffe and

John Rutherford recounting their experiences in New

Zealand. Judy began by discussing the process of

credentialing and recertification that the New Zealand

Society for Forensic Odontology introduced in 2011. The

credentialing /

recertification

process requires the

Odontologist to have

completed 20 cases

(10 in the last 4

years). At least 4 of

the cases should involve identifying human remains. The

odontolgists are also required to undertake 24 hours of

forensic CPD over 4 years and two peer review regional

meetings.

Judy then discussed the various forensic cases that she had

been involved in, notably the Yemeni Flight 626 to the

Comoros Islands with 153 people on board - 62 were

identified. Judy also discussed the role of Odontology in the

Black Saturday Bush-fires in 2009 where 172 victims were

identified from 173 fatalities. The intense heat meant that

there were many fragmented remains and 60% of the ID's

were done using odontology. Finally Judy discussed the

Christchurch Earthquake in February 2011 where 177

individuals from 181 dead we're identified using fingerprint

and dental records.

John Rutherford then talked about his experiences in

forensic pathology in Wellington versus the UK. In 2008 in

Wellington there were 385 post-mortem examinations, and

244 were carried out by John, with 213 medico-legal cases,

32 forensic cases and "one bag of bones". Nine of the

cases were recorded as homicide. The ratio of suspicious

death to homicide was 4-1. Compared to the UK where 60

cases from 304 were forensic cases. The suspicious versus

homicide death ratio was similar for both countries at

around 3-1 to 4-1. However his UK experiences were 7 UK

high court cases compared to one in New Zealand, and 19

UK inquests compared to none in New Zealand.

Our next speaker was Dr Alan Sprigg a paediatric

radiologist from the Sheffield Children's Hospital. He talked

about non-accidental injuries in children particularly classic

injuries such as:

-long bone fractures in infancy

-rib fractures (especially posterior ribs)

-metaphyseal fractures

-skull fractures in premobile children

-sub duras haematomas without a medical cause

-fractures of differing ages

-fractures of the scapula, pelvis and shoulders

Obviously pathology such as osteogenesis imperfecta and

Vitamin D deficiency needs to be excluded as a potential

cause of fracture. Dr Sprigg went onto to discuss non-

accidental head injury identifying children aged 15 months

or less as the highest risk group and the triad of signs -

subdural haematoma, retinal haematomas and

encephalopathy.

David Barr was next talking about the role of the Innocence

Network UK (INUK) which was established in 2004 by Dr

Michael Norton at Bristol University as a method to facilitate

casework and communication on issues relating to wrongful

convictions.

David discussed the basis of the case reviews using Section

13 of Criminal Appeal Act 1a) a real possibility that the

conviction, verdict, finding or sentence woud not be upheld

were the reference to be made. 1b) an argument or

evidence not raised in the proceedings. David highlighted

the fact that INUK is independent from the US Innocence

Project.

The day was rounded off with Ron Foden giving his

presentation on bruising and bite marks and a couple of

weapon mark cases one of which involved a hit and run

where the Peugeot Lion badge left a mark in the skin. Ron

also gave an interesting set of example bite mark photos

compared with the bite mark severity index.

Roland Kouble

Advance Notice

The BAFO Conference for 2014 will be at Aston University

Conference facilities in Birmingham on Nov 14th and 15th.

We already have a very interesting and varied group of

speakers lined up.

Details will be in the next newsletter and will be available on

the website in due course.

Forensic Odontology achieves Specialist Status in Australia. On 1st July 2010, Australia moved to a national registration

scheme for Health Practitioners, including dentists. The new

National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS)

encompasses 10 health professions, and covers registration

of practitioners, accreditation of programs, and

management of health complaints.

Prior to 1st July 2010, each State and Territory (eight in all),

had their own registration Boards and complaints

processes, as well as policy sitting responsibilities.

Nationally over 80 Boards, overseeing all health

professions, have been reduced to just 10.

A new body called the Australian Health Practitioners

Regulation Authority (AHPRA) was created under a National

Law, to provide the administrative support to the Boards

http://www.ahpra.gov.au

From a practical point of view, this has meant that

practitioners do not need to hold registration in more than

one State, and in the case of a national incident requiring

Disaster Victim Identification utilising dental records and

expertise, re-registration will not be necessary to work in

another state or territory having a different jurisdiction.

In the field of Dentistry, previously there had been some

variation in the specialties that were recognised, and this led

to some inconsistencies. Forensic Odontology was one of

those, being recognised only in New South Wales and

Tasmania, despite practitioners with equivalent or higher

formal qualifications working in other States. However, one

of the principles behind the NRAS, that has benefitted

Forensic Odontology, was that no practitioner would be

disadvantaged by the changes brought about by the new

scheme.

Consequently the new Dental Board of Australia

(http://www.dentalboard.gov.au) made a decision to offer

practitioners with a Graduate Diploma in Forensic

Odontology or higher qualification, the opportunity to apply

for specialist registration in the field of Forensic Odontology.

This meant that for a period of time, until about the end of

2011, Forensic Odontologists around Australia had the

option to apply for Specialist status in their field and to

provide comprehensive documentary evidence to support

such applications.

Nationally about 25 practitioners took up the opportunity to

become registered as Specialists in the field of Forensic

Odontology, and to use the title. These practitioners are

therefore literally almost “One in a million” given the present

population of Australia. Specialist status in Forensic

Odontology does not prevent General Dental Practitioners

being involved in Forensic Odontology in any way. The

regulations only prevent them from using the title of

Forensic Odontologist, as this is now a protected title,

restricted to those who are registered to use it. This has put

Forensic Odontology on the same footing as other Dental

Specialties, for example Periodontics and Endodontics.

However, as at present there are no accredited Forensic

Odontology education and training courses in Australia. This

has meant that Forensic Odontology has effectively become

a closed profession until an accreditation process can be

established. The Australian Dental Council (ADC) has been

appointed by the Dental Board of Australia to accredit all

post-graduate and under-graduate dental programs

nationally, and has been asked to investigate and advise on

accreditation for Forensic Odontology. In parallel, the Royal

College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA), has

recognised Forensic Odontology as a discipline within its

Faculty of Oral and MaxilloFacial Pathology, and

established a training pathway equivalent to that of a

forensic pathologist http://www.rcpa.edu.au/Careers/

Training/CurriculumTrainingHandbook.htm

To follow this pathway to specialist status therefore involves

a long period of training (5 years) in RCPA approved

training establishments that have to satisfy very rigorous

requirements for them to be eligible as training venues. It is

hoped that such a training pathway will be supported with

government-funded salaries for the registrars in training so

that in part an important national capability can be ensured

into the future. This is particularly important in a country that

is seen as a major power by our neighbors in the region of

SE Asia and the Pacific Rim and a source of resources for

DVI internationally.

As the number of graduates emerging from the Royal

College pathway will always be low it will be important for

Australian universities to continue with the education and

training of experts in forensic odontology preferable at 3

year Masters or Doctoral level so that national capability can

be assured. Individual AuSFO members are working closely

with Universities in their particular States to develop and

implement such programs.

Currently neither the RCPA nor any alternate university

educational and training pathways are yet accredited, and

until either or both are approved by the DBA, no further

specialist registration applications can be accepted by the

DBA. This currently undesirable situation reflects the very

recent changes during what is a very welcome period of

transition for Forensic Odontology. The matter of

accreditation of courses is receiving urgent attention and it

is anticipated that this unsatisfactory situation is only

temporary and will be resolved sometime in 2014.

However, in the meantime, those of us who have devoted a

large part of our professional lives to developing Forensic

Odontology and seeking recognition for it should draw some

comfort from the fact there are now registered specialists in

Australia and that a former President of BAFO is the Chief

Examiner in Forensic Odontology for the RCPA. We must

have been doing something right for the last 25 years!

Anthony Hill

Mark Leedham

John Clement

The passing of a President

It is with sadness that I announce the death of one of the authors

of the previous article, Tony Hill (immediate Past President of the

Australian Society of Forensic Odontology - AuSFO).

John Clement Phil Marsden and Tony Hill in Melbourne 2011

He died peacefully in The Epworth Hospital in Melbourne,

Australia on 22nd Dec 2013 surrounded by family, after a short

fight against cancer.

Tony was instrumental in cementing ties between AuSFO and

BAFO and our condolences go out to those he left behind.

http://m.theage.com.au/comment/obituaries/dentist-opted-for-forensic-career-that-

put-him-in-eye-of-disasters-20140220-334mv.html

There is no ‘I’ in TEAM....................... In October 2013 BAFO, funded by UK DVI, provided a

training weekend for Dental Care Professionals (DCP’s),

who have now been part of the BAFO DVI pool since April

2011. I was fortunate to be part of yet another well-

structured and informative training scenario. There were 14

delegates in total, some of whom had met previously at

larger events in which we had taken part; however this

weekend gave us the opportunity to bond and it was all

about the DCPs’ role in supporting the UK DVI Odonts. We

had travelled from far and wide with one lady joining us from

California!

We were given a broader insight into the whole of the DVI

process and the different disciplines involved. An exercise

scenario was cleverly orchestrated by Cath Adams and we

showed great teamwork as AM and PM data were collated,

finally arriving at the reconciliation process. We were

supported by John Robson, Phil Marsden and Romina

Carabott, who answered any questions we had, often

centred on the common themes of the Interpol Forms and

very poor AM dental charting received from dental practices.

DCPs getting to grips with the Interpol AM forms

We were very grateful to Detective Inspector Howard Way

and Clive Brooks from UK DVI who gave up their time to

speak to us and reassure us that we are fully supported and

championed in the role we now able to provide in DVI.

We all came away from this weekend feeling enthusiastic

and valued as part of a team in which we could now

confidently support UK DVI Odonts should the situation

arise.

In addition to the above training, myself and Ruth Adams,

supported Odonts, John Robson, Andy Walker, Melanie

Clarkson and Ceri Dewar, attending a very recent training

exercise with UK DVI in March 2014, this took place at the

Police College in Ryton. It was positive to see DCP's now

listed in the briefing as Odontology Assistants and being

officially recognised as part of the UK DVI team. The

exercise was an excellent opportunity to work alongside all

the different disciplines and specialists working in a

mortuary environment. Having the opportunity to put into

practice all the training we have previously received, which

is invaluable in extending our experience of working in a

multidisciplinary scenario in readiness for deployment.

On behalf of all the DCP’s I would like to thank those who

gave up their time and dedication to provide us with such a

high standard of training.

Caroline Citrone – Dental Therapist/Hygienist

British Association for Human Identification (BAHID)

Winter Conference 2013

‘Preparing for Disasters’ – 30th November 2013

The BAHID Winter conference entitled ‘Preparing for

Disasters’ was held at the Chancellors Hotel and

Conference Centre, Manchester on Saturday 30th

November 2013.

The conference was open by Dr Nigel Chapman, President

of BAHID, who welcomed the delegates and speakers. He

gave a very hearty thank you to the student members who

were to present their papers during the afternoon sessions

and reminded all delegates to look at the poster

presentations.

The first and keynote presentation was by Dr Frank van de

Goot, who is a registered clinical pathologist and accredited

expert on forensic pathology. He currently works with

‘Symbiant’, a Pathology Expert centre in the Netherlands.

He gave a very interesting presentation on the dangers of

tunnel vision when looking at cases and injuries. How one

should not be distracted by what you think you can see, or

by pre-judging a situation to lead one to a possible wrong

conclusion. He also talked on describing what you actually

see when looking at a crime scene or the injuries to a victim.

You should avoid using specific phrases or using leading

descriptions. Rather the description of a wound or injury

should state exactly what it is, but in a generalized way, so

that other possible conclusions aren’t dismissed.

The next presentation was a double act by Mike Conway

and Dave Ridgewell who gave an entertaining and

informative presentation on the role of the APT, the planning

for and the setting up of mortuaries for mass disasters.

Nigel Humphreys, former coordinator for UK DVI, gave his

views on ‘The Case for Professionalizing the Multi-Agency

Contribution to DVI’.

Following the coffee break, Dr Lucy Easthope gave a very

enlightening presentation that highlighted a number of new

challenges facing those responding to major incidents and

the potential solutions when making preparations for them.

The final two presentation of the morning session were from

Steve Nimmo, the Managing Director and Founder of a

large Funeral Company. He gave a talk on the repatriation

and handling of bodies from the perspective of the funeral

directors. This was followed by a presentation by Rene

Pape, a technical director at PlassData, detailing the latest

update to their DVI AM / PM comparison software together

with showing us the changes to the Interpol DVI forms.

A light buffet lunch was followed by a number of student

presentations, on work carried out as part of either

undergraduate or post graduate studies in anthropology.

These were all considered for the BAHID prize and were of

a varied and interesting selection. Two presentations stood

out and the judges, BAFO’s own Dr Leigh Evans being one

of them, were unable to separate the top two with the prize

being jointly awarded to Zoe Barnett for her talk on the

effect of containment in a suitcase on the decomposition

rate of a pig corpse; and to Jessica Bolton who

demonstrated how the ability to quantify 3D topographical

scan data of the pubic symphysis using a ‘Geographical

Information System’ could be used in the age assessment

of deceased individuals.

The closure of the meeting was followed by the BAHID

AGM.

The evening social program kicked off with a drinks

reception and the presentation of the student prizes. This

was followed by a buffet dinner and an adjournment to the

bar for more socializing and networking. Late into the night,

as has become a recent BAHID tradition, some of the

delegates took themselves back to the lecture room for a

session of Karaoke, which was still going strong as I slipped

off to my bed at about 3.30am!!

On Sunday morning, BAFA (the British Association for

Forensic Anthropology), held a meeting to update its

members on accreditation. This was followed by a workshop

on the applications and interpretation of Forensic Radiology.

BAHID hope to run two conferences this year. Details of

these will be made available on the BAFO web site

(bafo.org.uk) when known or from BAHID’s own web site

(bahid.org).

Simon Sampson

Tell me about.......... The prevalence of Enamel pearls

Roland Kouble Enamel pearls are anatomical structures that are a

developmental anomaly of teeth. They may also be known as

enamelomas, enamel droplets, enamel globules, enamel

nodules, enamel knots or enamel exostoses (1). Macroscopic ally

they appear as well defined round globules of enamel attached to

the root surface [Figure 1]. Their radiographic appearance is that

of well-defined round radiopaque areas. They are not just an

anatomical curiosity but can have clinical implications as a

predisposing factor to periodontal disease [Figure 2]. They can

also lead to misdiagnoses such as the example shown in Figure

3 where a patient was seen for a second opinion when the root

canal therapy performed by her general dental practitioner did not

appear to settle, when in fact the cause of the persistent problem

was periodontal in origin (radiograph shows the preoperative

situation prior to root treatment).

In a study analysing 45,785 extracted teeth the prevalence of

enamel pearls was found to be 0.82%. (2). This is in contrast to

other studies where the mean prevalence was 2.69% (3). From

an Odontology perspective these anatomical anomalies provide a

distinctive identifying feature that can clearly be used in forensic

dental identification.

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 3

The most common tooth affected is the maxillary third molar,

followed by; the maxillary second molar, maxillary first molar,

mandibular third molar, mandibular second molar and mandibular

first molar (2,4). The most common anatomical location in

maxillary molars is the furcation between the disto buccal and

palatal roots (2). Multiple teeth are affected in 20% of case with

10.8% affecting 2 teeth and 2.7% affecting 3 teeth. Some teeth

(8.7%) actually have more than one pearl present per molar.

The aetiology of their formation is thought to develop from the

presence of a remnant of the Hertwig's epithelial root sheath

which has remained adhered to the surface of the root during

tooth development. The cell are thought to differentiate into

ameloblasts and produce localised area of enamel although the

process is not fully understood. Enamel pearls can be classified

into true enamel pearls (consisting wholly of enamel) or complex

enamel pearls which are made up of enamel and dentine or

enamel, dentine and pulpal tissue (1, 4). A third type has also

been described in the literature; the so called internal or intra-

dental enamel pearls found within dentine (5).Their presence has

also been described in other species with an example of enamel

pearls in a dog described in the literature causing periodontal

problems in the canine (6).

(1) Romeo U et al, Enamel pearls as a predisposing factor to localized periodontitis. Quintessence Int 2011;42:69-71 (2) Chrcanovic B, Abreu M & Custodio A. Prevalence of enamel pearls in teeth from a human teeth bank. J Oral Sci 2010;52( 2):257-260 (3) Moskow B,& Canut P. studies on root enamel (2). Enamel pearls. A review of their morphology, localization, nomenclature, occurrence, classification, histogenesis and incidence. J Clin Periodontol 1990;17:275-281 (4) Kaminagakura E et al.Prevalence and microscopic features of enamel pearls from permanent human molars. Brazil J Oral Sci 2011;10(4):268-271

(5) Lekkas D & Townsend G. Cervical enamel projection sand enamel pearls in a collection of Australian extracted molars. Dental Anthropology Newsletter 1996; 11(1):2-6 (6) Schneck G. A Case of enamel pearls in a dog. Vet Rec 1973; 92: 115-117

News

Another Bite mark Exoneration by the Innocence

Project, USA: Gerard Richardson Exonerated of 1994

Murder

Gerard Richardson was convicted of the murder of Monica Reyes

in 1994. The case against

Richardson was based largely

on a bite mark which was said

to match his teeth.

Richardson maintained his

innocence throughout and

was finally exonerated after a

swab taken from the bite mark was tested for DNA. Initial test

were inconclusive however a repeat test gave a male profile

which excluded Richardson. In an ironic twist the DNA profile

cannot be compared with existing DNA database records

because of FBI regulations.

http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/New_Jersey_Man_Exonerated

_After_Serving_19_Years_for_a_Murder_that_New_DNA_Evidence_Sh

ows_He_Didnt_Commit

BAFO Exeter 2013

An accessible, essential introduction to

forensic odontology.

Written by a team of well-established, active

practitioners and many BAFO members in

the field, Forensic Odontology is invaluable

for those needing an introduction to the

subject for the general dental practitioner

who has an interest in forensic dentistry and

is contemplating practicing in the field. It will

also be useful as a reference during practice.

After a brief introduction the book covers

dental anatomy and development, expert

witness skills, mortuary practice, dental human identification,

disaster victim identification, dental age assessment, bite marks,

forensic photography and the role of the forensic odontologist in

protection of the vulnerable person. Chapters outline accepted and

recommended practices and refer to particular methodologies,

presenting different schools of thought objectively.

20% BAFO membership discount- quote

code: “BAFO” when orfering from

www.wiley.com

BAFO Scale of Fees 2014

As agreed with SOCA

Police Post-Mortem & Bite Mark Cases-

Hourly Rate: £110 per hour professional time

(Professional time includes time at a police station or mortuary

and time spent on analysis and report writing)

Travelling time: £70 per hour

Travelling expenses (road): 70p per mile

Coroner’s cases

Where an identification is requested directly from the Coroner,

fees are negotiable directly with HM Coroner or his/her officer. It

would be reasonable to use the fee scale relating to a police

identification (above) although there are set fees for a standard

and a special post mortem and report.

Special note:

Since 02.12.13. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has REDUCED the fees

payable to expert witnesses in both Criminal and Civil cases. The

permitted maximum fee for a “dentist” has gone down from £117 to

£93.60/Hr (and £72 in London!!)

The background and full wording can be found at the following links: http://www.sew.org.uk/ed/001_MoJCP1809/index.cfm

and

http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/legal-aid/funding-

code/remuneration-of-expert-witnesses-guidance.PDF

Accessed 26.01.14.

BAFO are currently in correspondence with the LAA in an attempt to

differentiate the work done by Forensic Odontologists from that done by

“dentists” within the Criminal Justice System. It may not be prudent at

this time to set precedent by accepting work from solicitors at this

reduced rate. £110/Hr is BAFO’s recommended rate