Robert E. Barsley

In vivo facial tissue depth measurements for children and adults.

This study reports results of a facial tissue depth measurements project conducted over a two-year period on a modern sample of children and adults of both sexes and varying ages and races. The purpose of this research was to increase available tissue depth data for children and update facial tissue depth measurements for American adults. Most volunteers for this project were patients or visitors to the pediatric clinic at the Louisiana State University Medical Center, School of Dentistry, in New Orleans. Using state of-the-art ultrasound technology, we scanned 551 children and 256 adults at 19 points across the face. Thirteen of the scanned points were traditional landmarks while six others were areas not measured by previous researchers or were points for which very little data exist for both children and adults. For this presentation, we analyzed data for 515 children and 197 adults. Results of Pearsons correlations, analysis of variance, and paired t-tests indicate that age, sex, and race are significant factors when considering tissue depth means for different measurement locations across the human face. These new standards are compared to the work of other researchers. Our results provide valuable assistance in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional facial reproductions and superimpositions.

Forensic photography. Ultraviolet imaging of wounds on skin.

The use of ultraviolet light (UVL) to study and document patterned injuries on human skin has opened a new frontier for law enforcement. This article discusses the photographic techniques involved in reflective and fluorescent UVL. Documentation of skin wounds via still photography and dynamic video photographic techniques, which utilize various methods of UV illumination, are covered. Techniques important for courtroom presentation of evidence gathered from lacerations, contusions, abrasions, and bite marks are presented through case studies and controlled experiments. Such injuries are common sequelae in the crimes of child abuse, rape, and assault.

Maxillary sinus mucocele: Report of an unusual case

The maxillary sinus mucocele occupying the entire sinus is rarely reported by dentists. This article discusses one such case diagnosed as an exceptionally large maxillary sinus cyst occupying the whole sinus. Unlike their findings in the medical literature, the authors were unable to find many similar cases reported in the dental literature. The location of these mucoceles necessitates the use of diagnostic radiographs, especially those of the panoramic type. Because etiology is still not fully understood after almost 100 years, the authors suggest and discuss four possible mechanisms of sinus mucocele formation and growth.

The Detection and Documentation of Trace Wound Patterns by Use of an Alternative Light Source

This article is a discussion of the use of narrow-band light sources coupled with cameras equipped with band-pass filters to document patterned injuries on human skin. Several case reports are included.

Ultraviolet Radiation and Its Role in Wound Pattern Documentation

The history of ultraviolet illumination in photography is discussed. Particular attention is devoted to the forensic aspects of ultraviolet photography as it relates to patterned injury on human skin. The authors discuss the theory underlying ultraviolet illumination of wounds on skin as well as the equipment required for this type of imaging.

Measurement of arch widths in a human population: relation of anticipated bite marks

The authors compared arch width measurements of diagnostic dental models obtained from dental school patients. Arch width measurements were taken in the canine area on each dental cast in an effort to assist forensic dental investigators in matching certain classes of subjects to the bites they might possibly inflict. If any canine teeth were absent, the measurements were taken using other specified adjacent teeth which the investigators felt would be interpreted as the arch width determiners in a bite mark injury. The ages of the subjects varied from 14 to 87 years. Statistical comparison of the maxillary arch width, mandibular arch width, and the mean difference between maxillary and mandibular arch width were performed. Significant differences between the arch width measurements were found to exist between several classes of subjects based on race and sex.

Postmortem Examination of Incinerated Teeth with the Scanning Electron Microscope

Fragments recovered from the burned wreckage of a gasoline truck and thought to be parts of teeth were confirmed as such after they were examined with a scanning electron microscope. The appearance of the fragments was compared with previously published descriptions of teeth which had been incinerated under laboratory conditions and also examined by scanning electron microscopy.

Identification via dental remains: Pan American Flight 759.

Pan American Flight 759 crashed on takeoff from New Orleans International Airport on 9 July 1982. One-hundred-and-fifty-four persons lost their lives making this the second worst air crash in the United States. A dental identification team was assembled and began working the next morning. Ninety-three victims were positively identified by dental means and twenty-three other victims had strong supporting dental evidence as to their identities. The organization, method used, planning, and problem resolution concerning the dental team for this crash are presented.

The Use of Human Skin in the Fabrication of a Bite Mark Template: Two Case Reports

Comparison of a suspected biters dental arches with the patterned injury of a bite mark is especially difficult when the bite occurs in an anatomic location with a small radius of curvature or with complex or compound curves. The authors present two case reports in which human skin was used as a template for the reproduction of a bite. In one case the victims skin was used; in the other, the skin of a anatomically similar person was used. The use of inked dental casts, photography, and transparent overlays significantly reduced the errors common to analysis of bite marks in these highly curved areas.

A Method for Mathematically Documenting Bitemarks

A method for describing and documenting bitemarks is presented in which the patterned injury from each arch is broken down into its constituent marks. The centroid of each mark is determined and used as a point to define the mark. Lines are used to connect each point around the arch. The length of each line is recorded and the angle formed between each pair of adjacent lines is also recorded. The ordered set of line lengths and angles is used to describe the bitemark. This format lends itself to computer storage, manipulation, and comparison.