Víctor Toledo González; Luis Ibarra M.; Valeria Rojas E.; Luis Ciocca G.; Nicolás Rocha D. & Gabriel Jara V.

Summary

Forensic dentistry is a branch of Forensic Sciences used to establish the identity of a crime victim or perpetrator, among these studies are bite marks and dental chronological age studies. In the absence of such studies in Chile and considering the widespread problem of dog bites in Chile, bite patterns were compared according to skull shape, by morphological and morphometric analysis of dental semi arcs of domestic dog (Canis Familiaris) for medico legal purposes. Plaster dental models and impressions of bite marks were obtained of three pure breeds: Boxer, Dalmatian and German shepherd. Measures included he maximum external distance between upper and lower canine, and maximum external distance between upper and lower incisors. Main results show that only the maximum distance between upper canine would allow statistically significant race identification, (p0.05) in cast models. In a blind study and from a morphometric point of view, Dalmatians were identified with a high rate of sensitivity and specificity. A somewhat lesser and variable form was observed in Boxer and German Shepherd. The morphological study allowed identification and individualization of 100% of dogs. Therefore, both morphological and morphometric methods are useful and complementary tools to identify and individualize a potentially aggressive dog.

KEY WORDS: Dog bit; Bite pattern; Forensic veterinary.

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