» Articles » PMID: 32411979

Craniofacial Photographic Superimposition: New Developments

Overview
Specialty Forensic Sciences
Date 2020 May 16
PMID 32411979
Citations 4
Authors
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

Craniofacial superimposition is a technique used in the field of forensic anthropology to assist in the analysis of an unknown skull. The process involves superimposing an image of the recovered skull over an ante mortem image of the suspected individual. In the past two decades, there has been a decline in the application due to the development of molecular analysis as a more precise and accurate identification technique. Despite its decrease in use, there has been significant development in superimposition techniques in the past five years, specifically to standardize procedures. One project, MEPROCS (The New Methodologies and Protocols of Forensic Identification by Craniofacial Superimposition), has attempted to establish a framework for solving the problems of past superimposition techniques. Future researchers should consider integrating information gleaned from clinical practices with the statistical and technical advances of craniofacial superimposition for better facilitating its use in forensic anthropology.

Citing Articles

Estimating Maxillary Sinus Volume Using Smartphone Camera.

Meliadis C, Feng E, Johnson E, Zhu W, Gopi P, Mohan V IEEE Open J Eng Med Biol. 2025; 6:256-260.

PMID: 39906271 PMC: 11793482. DOI: 10.1109/OJEMB.2024.3516320.


The Critical Photographic Variables Contributing to Skull-Face Superimposition Methods to Assist Forensic Identification of Skeletons: A Review.

Healy S, Stephan C J Imaging. 2024; 10(1).

PMID: 38249002 PMC: 10817695. DOI: 10.3390/jimaging10010017.


Perspective distortion tolerances and skull-face registration in craniofacial superimposition: an analytical review.

Healy S, Stephan C Int J Legal Med. 2023; 137(6):1767-1776.

PMID: 37702755 PMC: 10567890. DOI: 10.1007/s00414-023-03081-3.


Focus distance estimation from photographed faces: a test of PerspectiveX using 1709 frontal and profile photographs from DSLR and smartphone cameras.

Healy S, Stephan C Int J Legal Med. 2023; 137(6):1907-1920.

PMID: 37702754 PMC: 10567895. DOI: 10.1007/s00414-023-03078-y.


Using Computed Tomography (CT) Data to Build 3D Resources for Forensic Craniofacial Identification.

Simmons-Ehrhardt T, Falsetti C, Falsetti A Adv Exp Med Biol. 2021; 1317:53-74.

PMID: 33945132 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-61125-5_4.

References
1.
Miranda G, Freitas S, Maia L, Melani R . An unusual method of forensic human identification: use of selfie photographs. Forensic Sci Int. 2016; 263:e14-e17. DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2016.04.028. View

2.
Stephan C . Perspective distortion in craniofacial superimposition: Logarithmic decay curves mapped mathematically and by practical experiment. Forensic Sci Int. 2015; 257:520.e1-520.e8. DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.09.009. View

3.
Campomanes-Alvarez B, Ibanez O, Navarro F, Aleman I, Botella M, Damas S . Computer vision and soft computing for automatic skull-face overlay in craniofacial superimposition. Forensic Sci Int. 2014; 245:77-86. DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2014.10.009. View

4.
Gupta A, Kharbanda O, Sardana V, Balachandran R, Sardana H . A knowledge-based algorithm for automatic detection of cephalometric landmarks on CBCT images. Int J Comput Assist Radiol Surg. 2015; 10(11):1737-52. DOI: 10.1007/s11548-015-1173-6. View

5.
Jayaprakash P, Hashim N, Abd Aziz Mohd Yusop R . Relevance of Whitnall's tubercle and auditory meatus in diagnosing exclusions during skull-photo superimposition. Forensic Sci Int. 2015; 253:131.e1-10. DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.04.026. View