Forensic Dentistry & Anthropology
The public sector is involved with large-scale catastrophes including plane crashes, earthquakes, and train wrecks that necessitate victim identification at advanced stages of physical devastation. Malpractice, other forms of fraud, and neglect where compensation may be sought are also addressed. The lack of a birth certificate also deals with determining an individual's age. In situations of murder, rape, or suicide, the criminal justice system is concerned with identifying individuals only from their dental remains through bite mark analysis, palatal rugoscopy, and cheiloscopy.
Anthropology is the investigation of people and covers topics such as the biology and evolutionary history of Homo sapiens as well as the characteristics of society and culture that set humans apart from other animal species. There are several subfields within this study of human nature, including social, cultural, psychological, linguistic, physical, and archaeological. In the realm of forensics, the anthropologist's use of skeletal remains through craniofacial superimposition, facial approximation, distinctive cranial evidence, frontal sinus abnormalities, and postcranial remnants plays a significant role.