Review
Version 1
Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
What Are the Most Common Types of Bias That Forensic Odontologists Face While Analyzing a Human Bitemark? A Scoping Review
Version 1
: Received: 29 November 2023 / Approved: 1 December 2023 / Online: 5 December 2023 (04:32:52 CET)
A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.
Masood, T.; Mânica, S.; Pandey, H. The Most Common Types of Bias in a Human Bitemark Analysis. Oral 2024, 4, 113-125. Masood, T.; Mânica, S.; Pandey, H. The Most Common Types of Bias in a Human Bitemark Analysis. Oral 2024, 4, 113-125.
Abstract
Considering bitemark evidence, forensic dentists must give testimony that could have catastrophic consequences. A bitemark is often the only physical evidence on a body, and odontologists' testimony should be powerful and simple to understand. Given that perpetrators may be executed or imprisoned for life, a defective bitemark analysis is comparable to dentists' most crucial clinical decisions regarding diagnosis. Bias affects human bitemark analysis, and forensic dentists must examine its invisible impacts to avoid making mistakes. The aim of this study was to explore the potential of different types of bias in bitemark analysis and methods during analysis by conducting a scoping review. The majority of the 14 articles that were taken into consideration were published in 2019. USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands published the most articles. 36% of the publications addressed contextual bias, while 57% acknowledged cognitive bias. Preventive measures have been recommended to address bias in bitemark analysis. These consist of limiting the availability of unrelated data during the research, employing several comparison samples for a more impartial assessment, and repeating the analysis while being blind to past findings. These preventative measures reduce cognitive and contextual bias and improve bitemark analysis in forensic investigations.
Keywords
‘bites’; bite marks; human bite marks; bias; cognitive bias; contextual bias
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Other
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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