Affiliations 

  • 1 European Centre for Soft Computing, Mieres, Spain. Electronic address: sergio.damas@softcomputing.es
  • 2 Centre for Anatomy & Human Identification, University of Dundee, UK
  • 3 Division of Identification and Forensic Sciences, Israel National Police, Jerusalem, Israel
  • 4 Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia
  • 5 Main Department of Criminalistics Investigation Committee of Russia, Moscow, Russia
  • 6 Department of Anatomy, Histology and Anthropology, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
  • 7 Science Program, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Malaysia
  • 8 Legal Medicine School, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain
  • 9 Physical Anthropology Laboratory, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
  • 10 Forensic Sciences Centre (CENCIFOR), Coimbra, Portugal; Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
  • 11 Research Unit of Paleoradiology and Allied Sciences, Ospedali Riuniti di Trieste, Trieste, Italy
  • 12 Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
  • 13 Department of Identification - Criminalist Services, Civil Guard, Madrid, Spain
  • 14 South Africa Police Service, Pretoria, South Africa
  • 15 Crime Scene Investigation Section, Forensic Laboratory, Portuguese Criminal Police, Lisbon, Portugal
  • 16 National Research Institute of Police Science, Japan
  • 17 Public Ministry, Lima, Peru
  • 18 European Centre for Soft Computing, Mieres, Spain; Department of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
Forensic Sci Int, 2015 Dec;257:504-508.
PMID: 26482539 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.07.045

Abstract

Craniofacial superimposition, although existing for one century, is still a controversial technique within the scientific community. Objective and unbiased validation studies over a significant number of cases are required to establish a more solid picture on the reliability. However, there is lack of protocols and standards in the application of the technique leading to contradictory information concerning reliability. Instead of following a uniform methodology, every expert tends to apply his own approach to the problem, based on the available technology and deep knowledge on human craniofacial anatomy, soft tissues, and their relationships. The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of different craniofacial superimposition methodologies and the corresponding technical approaches to this type of identification. With all the data generated, some of the most representative experts in craniofacial identification joined in a discussion intended to identify and agree on the most important issues that have to be considered to properly employ the craniofacial superimposition technique. As a consequence, the consortium has produced the current manuscript, which can be considered the first standard in the field; including good and bad practices, sources of error and uncertainties, technological requirements and desirable features, and finally a common scale for the craniofacial matching evaluation. Such a document is intended to be part of a more complete framework for craniofacial superimposition, to be developed during the FP7-founded project MEPROCS, which will favour and standardize its proper application.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.