Dental Medicine and Forensic Anthropology

Code:

PD_CF56

Acronym:

PD_CF56

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Forensic Sciences

Instance: 2023/2024 - SP

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences, and Medical Education
Course/CS Responsible:	Doctoral Programme in Forensic Sciences

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
PDCF	3	Current Studies Plan	1	-	9	42	243

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

Develop knowledge, skills and competences in the field of forensic odontology and anthropology, enabling students to actively participate in exams related, among others, to human identification, and cases of orofacial injury assessment and physical abuse. Participation in the elaboration of the reports and discussion of the results in the forensic expertise scope. To contact with the application of laboratory techniques particularly in the field of molecular biology and microbiology, that may be relevant to the investigation in the field of forensic odontology and anthropology. To provide training in forensic taphonomy, as well as in the determination of the cause and manner of death.

Learning outcomes and competences

The syllabus is made in the sense that at the end of the course, students hold knowledge, skills and competencies, considered in the previously defined objectives. This means to enable them to actively participate in exams of human identification and identification of taphonomic phenomena, as well as identification of traumatic lesions in the skeleton (using dental techniques and forensic anthropology), and also of orofacial injury assessment (including registering the history and antecedents of the victim, the evaluation of his/her complaints, the physical examination and ancillary exams). At the end students should be able to write a forensic report (with discussion and conclusions substantiated by taking into account the specificities of scope of the law in which the exam takes place).

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. Dental nomenclature


2. Identification using dental techniques


3. Clinical exam in dental medicine


4. The exam in forensic anthropology


5. Biological identity: Sex diagnose in skeleton remains. Age estimation. Assessment of population affinities, height.


6. Individualizing characteristics - positive identification.


7. Methodology for orofacial damage assessment


8. Clinical exam in dental medicine


9. Advanced techniques: molecular biology and microbiology


10. Forensic taphonomy. Role of the anthropologist in the recovery of human remains


11. Cause and manner of death: identification of traumatic lesions in the skeleton - injuries antemortem, perimortem and postmortem. Peri-fatal injuries. Post-mortem changes.

12. The forensic report

Mandatory literature

White T.; The human bone manual

Teaching methods and learning activities

42 hours of practical classes in clinical context with a ration teacher: student ratio of 1:2.

Students will be evaluated though a written assignment (original research or monograph), its oral presentation and discussion, being its score equivalent to the final grade of the curricular unit.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Trabalho escrito	100,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Trabalho escrito	100,00
Total:	100,00

Eligibility for exams

Students will be evaluated though a written assignment (original research or monograph), its oral presentation and discussion, being its score equivalent to the final grade of the curricular unit.

Calculation formula of final grade

Written assignment = 100%