Kemtec Science: Odontology - One Bite Out of Crime

• Target Grades: 9-14
• Number of Students: 24 students working in six groups of four

Dental records, like fingerprints, offer a form of positive identification. Not only do they differ in detail from person to person, but they last longer than other physical evidence and may be the only identifiable body characteristic following catastrophic accidents, explosions, burning, or decomposition. Changes in dental records are minor as a person ages, so records compiled years earlier may provide positive identification. Kit includes seven experiments: Making a Patient Dental Chart, Identifying a Body with Dental Charts, Casting Teeth, Evidence Analysis of Bite Mark Injury, Collecting Evidence (Bite Marks in Wax Molds), Identifying Suspects from Bite Marks, and Identifying Suspects (Matching Teeth Cast to Wax Bite Planes). Meets national standards for grades 9-12.