The article, the authors explore a case in which the victim was correctly identified through a smile photograph. Due to the increase of violent deaths in the past decades, the number of cadavers that are subjected to examination have risen, particularly in Brazil. These violent deaths often cause the cadaver to be altered, in which forensic experts may find the body to be mutilated, charred, decomposed, or skeletal remains (1). Forensic dentistry has become an alternative when fingerprint and facial analysis are impossible. Smile photographs have become more common, as the authors say, because of the “current increase of digital inclusion, social networking, and virtual communication”(1). Experts compare the dentistry of the cadaver antemortem (AM), or before death, to the post-mortem (PM), or after death. The authors of the case study mention that orthodontic differences allows identification to occur at a higher percentage, in which 91.6% of cases were correctly determined versus the 72.9% of cases where the cadaver had been “orthodontically treated”(3). These differences aided in the identification of a cadaver that was found in Goiás, Brazil. Although general characteristics of the body, such as that the victim was male with mixed ancestry and between the ages of 18 and 25, a smile photograph was what confirmed its identity.
In this growing digital age, smile photographs is a sensible solution to identify a potential victim, whose body was greatly disfigured because of a violent death. However, it can only be used as an alternative. The authors stress that in order to compare the two images of before and after death, a “detailed anthropological exam”(3) has to performed. This narrows down the police list of missing persons. Also, the experts have to make sure that in the comparison and manipulation of the smile photographs, the proportions are not altered as well, otherwise the outcome would be unreliable. Society has given forensics experts another tool for identification because of the increasing use of social media, which in turn often provides photos of individuals.
This case report, although short by normal standards, is a thorough overview of smile photographs and how they are used. It was difficult to read at first because of all of the scientific terminology, but it made sense after reading the article over a few times. They bring up some points that I had not thought about before, such as the use of this digital world as evidence and proof to solve violent deaths. Though the one example they give seems efficient, it may help readers better understand the whole process if there had been another example of this new tool. Otherwise, this case report has opened my eyes to the possibilities that the use of smile photographs in this day and age has created.
Silva, Rhonan Ferreira, Ademir Franco Franco, Fernando Fortes Picoli, Lívia Graziele
Rodrigues, Rhodolfo Ferreira Silva, and João Batista De Souza. "Positive Identification of Skeletal Remains Combining Smile Photographs and Forensic Anthropology – A Case Report." Forensic Research 6.5 (2015): 1-3. Http://www.omicsonline.org. Silva RF, 2 Aug. 2015. Web. 14 Sept. 2015.
17 comments:
I like how it was mentioned how statistically, this type of forensic testing could improve identification of the unknown deceased. I never thought that not going to the dentist or orthodontist would be an advantage. She states that the chance of identifying someone who has not had “orthodontically treated” teeth is greater because there are more imperfections to identify and compare.
She also explained exactly how smile photographs were used to identify the man they think might be the person in question by comparing pictures of the person when he was alive to his teeth after he got killed. In this case, a relative came with a year-old photograph but the picture could have come from Facebook or another social network.
It was interesting but understandable when she mentioned that the picture was not a conclusive piece of data in identifying the cadaver. There were no dental records available so the photo only helped to identify the man. However, the police already knew a lot about him: he was male, 18 – 25, of hybrid race and 169cm – 177cm.
I feel the review could have flowed a bit differently. All the important information was there but it was somewhat difficult to put together.
I hope to find out how the man’s teeth got so messed up. Upon reading the article, I discovered that he got shot in the mouth, which shattered or dislodged some of his teeth. In fact, he was also shot in his hip, his neck, and his ribs.
I was impressed that something as simple as teeth would be able to identify someone. According to the article there is a 97% success rate in identification.
I like how it was mentioned how statistically, this type of forensic testing could improve identification of the unknown deceased. I never thought that not going to the dentist or orthodontist would be an advantage. She states that the chance of identifying someone who has not had “orthodontically treated” teeth is greater because there are more imperfections to identify and compare.
She also explained exactly how smile photographs were used to identify the man they think might be the person in question by comparing pictures of the person when he was alive to his teeth after he got killed. In this case, a relative came with a year-old photograph but the picture could have come from Facebook or another social network.
It was interesting but understandable when she mentioned that the picture was not a conclusive piece of data in identifying the cadaver. There were no dental records available so the photo only helped to identify the man. However, the police already knew a lot about him: he was male, 18 – 25, of hybrid race and 169cm – 177cm.
I feel the review could have flowed a bit differently. All the important information was there but it was somewhat difficult to put together.
I hope to find out how the man’s teeth got so messed up. Upon reading the article, I discovered that he got shot in the mouth, which shattered or dislodged some of his teeth. In fact, he was also shot in his hip, his neck, and his ribs.
I was impressed that something as simple as teeth would be able to identify someone. According to the article there is a 97% success rate in identification.
Helen Kocur
This article review was very interesting to read and very well written. I liked the fact that after a piece of information was incorporated into the review, an example would shortly follow in the best sentence. For example, the smile photograph helped confirm the identify a cadaver in Brazil who was a man of mixed ancestry between the ages of 18-25. I thought it was nice how some of the authors writing was weaved into the review. It states that, "The authors stress that in order to compare the two images of before and after death, a “detailed anthropological exam”(3) has to performed." The reflection in the last paragraph is very honest and i could imagine how hard it was to understand the article because of all the scientific terminology. I found it fascinating that a single picture could identify an altered cadaver. It is interesting how, "society has given forensics experts another tool for identification because of the increasing use of social media, which in turn often provides photos of individuals." It was very useful that percentages and facts were put into this review to give the author more credibility. It would have been better if another example was described as to how the smile photograph exactly identified a cadaver and the steps on how to do so, if there are any. This review was very interesting to read and it is shown that the writer carefully read the article to understand it completely.
Helen Kocur
This article was very interesting to read and very well written. I liked how the authors wolds were incorporated into it. For example, it sates that, "the authors stress that in order to compare the two images of before and after death, a “detailed anthropological exam”(3) has to performed." It is very useful that numbers or percentages were used in this article review, that were received from the actual article. This gives the author credibility. The reflection towards the end of the article was very honest and I could imagine how hard it was to read an article full of scientific terminology that is hard to understand. I think it is so fascinating how a smile photograph can help identify a cadaver, like the one in Brazil that was a male with mixed ancestry and between the ages of 18-25. One smile photograph confirmed its identify. It is so interesting that, "society has given forensics experts another tool for identification because of the increasing use of social media, which in turn often provides photos of individuals." One thing that would have made this review better is to incorporate one more example of how the smile photograph is used in identifying a cadaver and if there are any steps in doing so. This article review was very interesting to read and it is evident that the writer spent a lot of time writing it.
Helen Kocur
This article was very interesting to read and very well written. I liked how the authors wolds were incorporated into it. For example, it sates that, "the authors stress that in order to compare the two images of before and after death, a “detailed anthropological exam”(3) has to performed." It is very useful that numbers or percentages were used in this article review, that were received from the actual article. This gives the author credibility. The reflection towards the end of the article was very honest and I could imagine how hard it was to read an article full of scientific terminology that is hard to understand. I think it is so fascinating how a smile photograph can help identify a cadaver, like the one in Brazil that was a male with mixed ancestry and between the ages of 18-25. One smile photograph confirmed its identify. It is so interesting that, "society has given forensics experts another tool for identification because of the increasing use of social media, which in turn often provides photos of individuals." One thing that would have made this review better is to incorporate one more example of how the smile photograph is used in identifying a cadaver and if there are any steps in doing so. This article review was very interesting to read and it is evident that the writer spent a lot of time writing it.
Helen Kocur
This article was very interesting to read and very well written. I liked how the authors wolds were incorporated into it. For example, it sates that, "the authors stress that in order to compare the two images of before and after death, a “detailed anthropological exam”(3) has to performed." It is very useful that numbers or percentages were used in this article review, that were received from the actual article. This gives the author credibility. The reflection towards the end of the article was very honest and I could imagine how hard it was to read an article full of scientific terminology that is hard to understand. I think it is so fascinating how a smile photograph can help identify a cadaver, like the one in Brazil that was a male with mixed ancestry and between the ages of 18-25. One smile photograph confirmed its identify. It is so interesting that, "society has given forensics experts another tool for identification because of the increasing use of social media, which in turn often provides photos of individuals." One thing that would have made this review better is to incorporate one more example of how the smile photograph is used in identifying a cadaver and if there are any steps in doing so. This article review was very interesting to read and it is evident that the writer spent a lot of time writing it.
Three aspects in the review that were well represented were the importance of forensic dentistry, the uprise of a new examination called smile photographs and its effective appliance, and how orthodontic characteristics help identify potential victim’s identity. Sara went in depth on how the increase of violent depths in recent years have led the forensic scientists to rely on dentistry “[as] an alternative when fingerprint and facial analysis are impossible.” The new examination called smile photographs have become a common alternative when “current increase of digital inclusion, social networking, and virtual communication.” However, the case study stresses the comparison of before and after photographs should be allowed only after a “detailed anthropological exam”(3).
Sara wrote summarized well on the effectiveness of dentistry examinations, but the definition and the use of smile photographs were vague and certain lines were abrupt, lacking the transition. Although it is understandable that scientific reports are matter-of-fact and require passivity, the review should still have a humane flow. There were also some grammatical errors, for instance, the last sentence of the second paragraph.
Overall, the case study and Sara’s review was an enjoyable read, considering how I did not know how the digital examinations helped in identifying severely disfigured victims. I chose this case report since I hardly knew what methods were used in forensic anthropology. I was also enlightened the fact that the number of violent deaths, along with their use of dentistry examination, have particularly risen in Brazil.
I think that Sara did a good job on summarizing the article. I thought that she did well in making the review of the article simple and short. She also did a good job in talking about the important information from the article. Lastly, she went into great depth about why forensic scientists use smile photographs. Although most of the review was written well, I saw that in the third sentence in the second paragraph she left out a word. There were also some grammatical errors that could have been fixed. She could have also made the review flow a bit better with transitions. As for what I learned from the article is that forensic scientists use smile photographs and that orthodontic characteristics can help identify the victim. I had no idea before reading the review that forensic scientists could identify the victim by looking at a picture of them. Overall, I enjoyed reading the review and thought it was done well.
There were many aspects of the review that were presented very nicely. For example, the way you split up your body paragraphs was nice and easy to follow. Also, when you talked about a term that people weren't familiar with, you were able to explain what it meant which was very helpful. Lastly, I thought your report was very insightful, and straight to the point, there was no extra information that was unnecessary which made it very easy to follow and comprehend.
One aspect of your review that could have made it even better, was go into more depth about a specific investigation using the photograph technique. Another aspect of your review that could've been expanded on was how they use the smile technique to detect someone's identity. It was clear that investigators are capable of doing so, but the process of how it is done would be interesting and important to include.
The overall idea that a victim can be detected through a smile photograph is very eye opening and interesting. Because of all the technology that we have today, and the importance of social media and pictures, it makes it a lot easier for investigators to use that information to their advantage. It is awesome that scientists are able to use tools that are relevant to the 21st century. To be more specific, using a tool that allows you to identify a victim through a photo is very relevant to our time period and 30 years ago, using a photo would not be very accessible because photos weren’t as prominent in people's lives then, but now, with all the social media, there are many pictures of everyone somewhere online.
There were many aspects of the review that were presented very nicely. For example, the way you split up your body paragraphs was nice and easy to follow. Also, when you talked about a term that people weren't familiar with, you were able to explain what it meant which was very helpful. Lastly, I thought your report was very insightful, and straight to the point, there was no extra information that was unnecessary which made it very easy to follow and comprehend.
One aspect of your review that could have made it even better, was go into more depth about a specific investigation using the photograph technique. Another aspect of your review that could've been expanded on was how they use the smile technique to detect someone's identity. It was clear that investigators are capable of doing so, but the process of how it is done would be interesting and important to include.
The overall idea that a victim can be detected through a smile photograph is very eye opening and interesting. Because of all the technology that we have today, and the importance of social media and pictures, it makes it a lot easier for investigators to use that information to their advantage. It is awesome that scientists are able to use tools that are relevant to the 21st century. To be more specific, using a tool that allows you to identify a victim through a photo is very relevant to our time period and 30 years ago, using a photo would not be very accessible because photos weren’t as prominent in people's lives then, but now, with all the social media, there are many pictures of everyone somewhere online.
I think that Sara did a great job critiquing the article “Positive Identification of Skeletal Remains Combining Smile Photographs and Forensic Anthropology – A Case Report.” She did a nice job summarizing the case report and made it easy to understand and got straight to the point (she didn’t add in any unnecessary details). I like how she directly quoted from the article to prove her statements. My favorite part of the critique was how she stated the pros and cons of using smile photography to identify the body. A pro was being able to use it when fingerprints were unidentifiable and a con was that the procedure required extremely detailed work and that it can only be used as an alternative and that it could be unreliable if the photographs were altered. Something that the article could have expanded on how the increase of communication affects the use of smile photographs which was something that Sara pointed out in her critique, but it was only mentioned and didn’t really go into depth. From reading this case study and the critique, I learned about the use of smile photographs in order to identify the bodies of victims and how it has helped in various cases regarding extremely violent deaths.
I think that Sara did a good job of summarizing the entire article in a few words. She did a great job making her summary easy to understand ( sometimes such summaries are not concise and are very hard to understand). She understood the main point of the article, which was how "smile photographs" could be used to identify a victim. She made sure to include the fact that smile photographs should only be used in the event that fingerprints, or other more accurate methods of identification can not be used. I thought that the review could be a little better if she checked for some minor grammatical errors. I also agreed with Emily's idea that she could have put make the review flow a little bit better with some small transitions. I was very impressed by the fact that bodies that have been badly damaged could be identified by a picture of their smile sometime before death.
I think that Sara did a good job of summarizing the entire article in a few words. She did a great job making her summary easy to understand ( sometimes such summaries are not concise and are very hard to understand). She understood the main point of the article, which was how "smile photographs" could be used to identify a victim. She made sure to include the fact that smile photographs should only be used in the event that fingerprints, or other more accurate methods of identification can not be used. I thought that the review could be a little better if she checked for some minor grammatical errors. I also agreed with Emily's idea that she could have put make the review flow a little bit better with some small transitions. I was very impressed by the fact that bodies that have been badly damaged could be identified by a picture of their smile sometime before death.
I think that Sara did a good job of summarizing the entire article in a few words. She did a great job making her summary easy to understand ( sometimes such summaries are not concise and are very hard to understand). She understood the main point of the article, which was how "smile photographs" could be used to identify a victim. She made sure to include the fact that smile photographs should only be used in the event that fingerprints, or other more accurate methods of identification can not be used. I thought that the review could be a little better if she checked for some minor grammatical errors. I also agreed with Emily's idea that she could have put make the review flow a little bit better with some small transitions. I was very impressed by the fact that bodies that have been badly damaged could be identified by a picture of their smile sometime before death.
Conway presents her article wonderfully in three ways. First of all, her article is well-written, clear and concise. For instance, she uses varied sentence structure to ensure her review has a good flow. Secondly, her citations are well done, using statistics as well as phrases directly from the article such as "orthodontically treated." Last but not least, she connects every idea she presents with a main overarching theme, which is summed up and simplified into the innovative use of dentistry is further connected with the use of smile photographs to match up forensic evidence.
In spite of the many strengths of Conway's review, there are a couple of discrepancies. First of all, it was difficult to discern what the (1) tags were used for throughout the review. It is still unclear even after reading both the review and the article it is based after. A minor criticism is that one should not use personal pronouns such as "we, I, or you" in an assignment that requires standard English conventions.
Overall, Conway's unique and efficient interweaving of citations from the article and her own articulate voice was truly impressive. The knowledge of dentistry's role in forensics is not necessarily new for everyone; however, seeing it used to further investigations and close a case invokes a sense of pride.
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