What types of information can teeth reveal about the deceased?

• A. Eye color
• B. Diet, age, dental history, and identity
• C. Blood type
• D. Hair color

Answer: (B)

Teeth can provide a broad range of information about the deceased, making them a powerful tool in forensic casework. Age can be estimated from dental development in children—when teeth erupt and roots form—and, in adults, from wear patterns on the teeth and, in some methods, features like cementum annulations that correlate with age. Dietary information comes from dental evidence as well: stable isotope analysis of enamel or dentin (such as carbon and nitrogen isotopes) reflects long-term dietary patterns, and enamel wear patterns (microwear) give clues about the texture and type of diet. The dental record also preserves a history of dental care, including fillings, crowns, bridges, implants, root canals, or extractions, which reveals prior dental treatment and oral health. For identity, teeth are extremely useful because unique dental work and morphology can be matched to ante-mortem records, radiographs, and bite registrations, providing a strong link to a specific person.

Eye color, hair color, and blood type aren’t determined from teeth in a reliable forensic sense, so those details aren’t information typically drawn from dental evidence.