Assessment of Agreement in Human Permanent Teeth Identification Relation to their Preservation
Authors:
A. Pankowská 1,3; P. Galeta 1; L. Šmolíková 2; J. Šneberger 1,2; K. Jurman 1
Authors‘ workplace:
Katedra antropologie, Fakulta filozofická, Západočeská univerzita, Plzeň
1; Západočeské muzeum, Plzeň
2; Ústav dějin lékařství a cizích jazyků 1. LF UK, Praha
3
Published in:
Česká stomatologie / Praktické zubní lékařství, ročník 114, 2014, 1, s. 15-23
Category:
Original Article – Retrospective Anthropological Study
Overview
Introduction and aim:
Human teeth represent a significant determinant in forensic sciences and they serve as an important source of data about human behavior in retrospective sciences. Correct identification of isolated teeth depends on their alteration influenced by biogenic and diagenetic processes which reduce marks appropriate to correct determination of the tooth. The aim of this study is to quantify the rate of agreement of isolated teeth in relation to teeth preservation.
Methods:
Assessment of agreement was accomplished according to four different aspects: 1. teeth category; 2. tooth position (upper or lower jaw); 3. teeth position; and 4. teeth siding. The evaluation was carried out on three sets differing by their preservation (Set 1: well preserved teeth, Set 2: teeth altered by biogenetic factors, Set 3: teeth altered by diagenetic factors. For statistical testing of concordance we use Cohen´s kappa, which measures inter-rater agreement in observation with the correction of “hap-hazard” consent between two observers.
Result:
Results show gradual decrease of teeth identification agreement in all three sets. In the Set 1 we agreed in 93% in tooth category determination, otherwise agreement in side determination was only 38%. The influence of the teeth preservation is significant when determining the tooth sequence and tooth side. Agreement in teeth sequence determination was 55% in Set 1 (well preserved teeth) and only 10% in Set 3 (diagenetic altered teeth). The agreement in individual steps differed depending on tooth. We noticed lower agreement in frontal teeth in classification into category and whereas in sequence determination and siding agreement was lower among lateral teeth.
Conclusion:
Low agreement in human teeth identification between two observers is significant. The highest agreement is recorded in tooth category determination. The agreement markedly decreases from the stage of teeth positioning in jaws, depend on teeth preservation. In conclusion, we recommend biogenic or diagenetic altered teeth not to identify in unsure cases, or accomplished the identification with the respect of low reliability.
Key words:
Cohen´s kappa – assessment of agreement – human teeth identification – bioarchaeology
Sources
1. Adams, B. J., Konigsberg, L. W.: Estimation of the most likely number of individuals from commingled human skeletal remains. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol., roč. 125, 2004, s. 138–151.
2. Alt, K. W., Pichler, S.: Artificial modifications of human teeth. In Alt, K. W., Rösing, F., Teschler-Nicola, M.: Dental Anthropology. Vienna, Springer, 1998, s. 387–415.
3. Bailey, S. E., Hublin, J.: Dental perspectives on human evolution: State of the art research in dental paleoanthropology. AA Dordrecht, The Netherlands, Springer, 2007, s. 409.
4. Bell, L. S., Boyde, A., Jones, S. J.: Diagenetic alteration to teeth in situ illustrated by backscattered electron imaging. Scanning, roč. 19, 1990, s. 173–183.
5. Blakey, M. L., Leslie, T. E., Reidy, J. P.: Frequency and chronological distribution of dental enamel hypoplasia in enslaved African Americans: A test of the weaning hypothesis. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol., roč. 95, 1994, s. 371–383.
6. Bland, M. J., Altman, D.: Statistical methods for assessing agreement between two methods of clinical measurement. Lancet, roč. 327, 1986, s. 307–310.
7. de Bonis, L., Viriot, L.: Teeth and paleoanthropology. Connect. Tissue Res., roč. 43, 2002, s. 87–93.
8. Bowers, C. M.: Forensic dental evidence, An investigator´s handbook. London, Elsevier, 2004, s. 211.
9. Brkic, H., Strinovic, D., Slaus, M., Skavic, J., Zecevic, D., Milicevic, M.: Dental identification of war victims from Petrinja in Croatia. Int. J. Leg. Med., roč. 110, 1997, s. 47–51.
10. Brothwell, D. R.: Digging up bones. The excavation, treatment and study of human skeletal remains. London, Oxford University Press, British Museum, 1981, s. 208.
11. Calcagno, J. M., Gibson, K. R.: Human dental reduction: Natural selection or the probable mutation effect. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol., roč. 77, 1988, s. 505–517.
12. Cohen, J.: A coefficient of agreement for nominal scales. Educational Psychol. Measurement, roč. 20, 1960, s. 37–46.
13. Cohen, J.: Weighted kappa: nominal scale agreement with provision for scale and disagreement or partial credit. Psycho. Bull., roč. 70, 1968, č. 4, s. 213–220.
14. Cushman, T.: Anthropology and genocide in the Balkans: An analysis of conceptual practices of power. Anthropol. Ther., roč. 4, 2004, s. 5–28.
15. Duday, H.: The archaeology of the dead: Lectures in archaeothanatology. Oxford, Oxbow Books, 2009, s. 158.
16. Dvořák, M., Kilian, J.: Základy forenzního zubního lékařství. Praha, Univerzita Karlova, Karolinum, 2007, s. 109.
17. Gosavi, S.: Forensic odontology: A prosthodontic view. J. Forensic. Dent. Sci. 2012 4(1), s. 38–41.
18. Hillson, S.: Recording dental caries in archaeological human remains. Int. J. Osteoarch., roč. 11, 2001, s. 249–289.
19. Klaus, H. D., Tam, M. E.: Oral health and the postcontact adaptive transition: A contextual reconstruction of diet in Mórrope, Peru. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol., roč. 141, 2010, s. 594–609.
20. Landis, J. R., Koch, G. G.: The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data. Biometrics., roč. 33, 1977, s. 159–174.
21. Larsen, C. S.: Bioarchaeology: Interpreting behavior from the human skeleton. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1999, s. 461.
22. Lee, S., Lee, U. Y., Han, S. H., Lee, S. S.: Forensic odontological examination of a 1500 year-old human remain in ancient Korea. J. Forensic Odontostomatol., roč. 29, 2011, s. 8–13.
23. Lessig, R., Grundmann, C., Dahlmann, F., Rötzscher, K., Edelmann, J., Schneider, P.: Tsunami 2004 – a review of one year of continuous forensic medical work for victim identification. EXCLI J., roč. 5, 2006, s. 128–139.
24. Lovejoy, C. O.: Dental wear in the Libben population: Its functional pattern and role in the determination of adult skeletal age at death. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol., roč. 68, 1985, s. 47–56.
25. Madan, S. S., Rai, A., Harley, J. M.: Interobserver error in interpretation of the radiographs for degeneration of the lumbar spine. Iowa Orthop. J., roč. 23, 2003, s. 51–56.
26. Manolis, S. K.: The Ancient Minoans of Crete: A biodistance study. Hum. Evol., roč. 16, 2001, s. 125–136.
27. Measey, G. J., Silva, J. B., Di-Bernarado, M.: Testing for repeat- ability in measurements of length and mass in Chthonerpeton indistinctum (Amphibia: Gymnophiona), including a novel method of calculating total length of live caecilians. Herpetol. Rev., roč. 33, 2002.
28. Monhartová, K., Hecová, H.: Morfologie zubů: Kreslení a modelování zubů. Plzeň, Karolinum, 2011, s. 57.
29. Mundorf, A.: Integrating forensic anthropology into disaster victim identification. Forensic. Sci. Med. Pathol., 8, 2011, s. 131–139.
30. Pilloud, M. A, Hillson, S.: Brief communication: The use of alternative dental measurements on deciduous teeth. Am. J. Phys. Anthropol., roč. 149, 2012, s. 299–306.
31. Scott, G. R., Turner, C. G.: The anthropology of modern human teeth: Dental morphology and its variation in recent human populations. Cambridge University Press, 1997, s. 385.
32. Schmidt, C. W.: The recovery and study of burned human teeth. In Schmidt, C. W., Symes, S.: The analysis of burned human remains. Burlington (USA), Elsevier, 2008, s. 296.
33. Sim, J., Wright, C. C.: The kappa statistic in reliability studies: Use, interpretation, and sample size requirements. Phys. Ther., roč. 85, 2005, s. 257–268.
34. Skinner, M.: Planning the archaeological recovery of evidence from recent mass graves. For. Sci. Int., roč. 34, 1987, s. 267–287. 35. Stavrianos, C., Stavrianou, I., Dietrich, E., Kafas, P.: Methods for human identification in Forensic Dentistry: A Review. Internet J. Forensic. Sci., roč. 4, 2009, č. 1. DOI: 10.5580/871.
36. Teaford, M. F.: Dental morphology: An introduction. In Koppe, T., Meyer, G., Alt, K. W.: Comparative dental morphology. Liverpool (UK), Karger Publishers, 2009, s. 202.
37. Ubelaker, D. H.: Estimating age at death from immature human skeletons: An overview. J. Forensis. Sci., roč. 32, 1987, s. 1254–1263.
38. White, T. D., Black, M. T., Folknes, P. A.: Human Osteology. Burlington (USA), Elsevier, 2012, s. 688.
Labels
Maxillofacial surgery Orthodontics Dental medicineArticle was published in
Czech Dental Journal
2014 Issue 1
Most read in this issue
- Occlusal Interference – Part One
- Early Childhood Caries and its Consequences
- Tooth Agenesis and Associated Tooth Developmental Anomalies
- Central Giant Cell Granuloma – Conservative Treatment with Intralesional Application of Corticosteroids