TEETH
Forensic odontologists use a variety of methods to organize and uniquely name each tooth in the mouth. The common names of teeth are also useful, but they refer to a group of teeth with the same characteristics. Typically, a numbering method is used and one of the most common is to number the teeth from the lower right molar, moving anteriorly, to the lower left molar; the next tooth would then be the upper left molar and then back around to the upper right molar (see Figure 1). This numbering scheme sections the mouth into four quadrants: upper right, lower right, upper left, and lower left.
FIGURE 1 Because the terminology for teeth overlaps between top and bottom and right and left, it is important to have a unique identifier for each tooth. This aids in clear communication between forensic professionals.
Each tooth has five sides: buccal, the side toward the cheek; lingual, the side toward the tongue; mesial, toward the midline of the body; distal, the side away from the midline; and the chewing surface, called the occlusal surface. These orientations help to describe where a cavity or filling is located. Individually, each tooth has similar structures but is shaped differently due to their functions. Every tooth has a crown, body, and root.
