Overview of Forensic Anthropology

Forensic anthropologists examine skeletal human remains to assess age at death, sex, stature, and ancestry; identify injuries; and estimate the time since death to provide investigators with information that can assist in identifying a decedent.

Forensic odontologists examine the development, anatomy, and any restorative dental corrections of the teeth, such as fillings or extractions, to make a comparative identification of a person.

Bones and teeth are the most durable parts of the human body and may be the only recognizable remains in cases of decomposition, fire death, or mass fatalities and can be used to identify an individual in such cases. For example, when law enforcement officials find unidentified human remains such as teeth, this critical piece of evidence may be the only resource investigators can use to compare to dental records of known missing persons to determine the person's identity.

NIJ funds projects to improve:

• Estimation of age, sex, and population affiliation of human remains.
• Detection of human remains in concealed graves or at compromised scenes such as fatal fires.
• Recovery and identification of victims in mass fatality events.
• Estimating time since death.