Future of Forensics
Skull Anatomy
Skull shape can generally determine the gender of a person. Males have more prominent ridges and grooves (A, B, and C). Male cheekbones are wider than female cheekbones (D). Females have a rounder chin while males have a more square chin (E). Males have wider jaws and mastoid process, located behind the ear (I and E). Females have straighter foreheads while males have steeper foreheads (F). Males also have a more prominent browbone (H) and longer teeth (J). Additionally, in general, males have a larger skull (G). (Source: Forensic Dentistry)
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Odontology
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Caucasians usually have slightly smaller teeth, crowding, and overbite. In contrast, Africans usually do not have crowding, but do have an overbite. Native Americans generally have decently spaced teeth but have calcium deposits inside teeth, causing teeth to become fragile.
(Source: Forensics 101: Race Determination Based on the Skull)
Palate
The palate, the roof of the mouth, can also confirm a person's ethnicity. Caucasians tend to have palates with widening ends. Africans normally have perfectly U-shaped palates with straight ends. Native Americans usually have palates with molars angling in. (Source: Forensics 101: Race Determination Based on the Skull)
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Incisors
Incisors, front teeth, plays the largest role in confirming ethnicity. People of Mongoloid ancestry, Native Americans and East Asians, have shovel-like incisors, meaning the inner surface is curved. Africans and Caucasians both have blade-like incisors, where the tooth is flatter. (Source: Forensics 101: Race Determination Based on the Skull)
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Nose
The nose provides three distinct characteristics: nasal bridge, nasal aperture, and nasal sill. Caucasians tend to have a higher bridge, longer and narrower nasal aperture, and sharp nasal sill. Africans generally have a lower bridge, short and wide nasal aperture, and channel-like nasal sill. Native Americans have medium sized bridge, nasal aperture, and nasal sill. (Source: Forensics 101: Race Determination Based on the Skull)
Mastoid Process
The shape of the mastoid process, a cone-shaped or pyramidal bone projection located behind the ear, differs between races. Africans tend to have wider mastoid processes. Caucasians have narrower and pointier mastoids. Native Americans have a secondary smaller forms behind the mastoid process. (Source: Mastoid Process and Forensics 101: Race Determination Based on the Skull)
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