Pair-matching temporals using a digital mesh-to-mesh value comparison method

Currently there are limited methods to individualize commingled human remains, despite it being a frequent challenge to forensic anthropologists. This study investigates a new method for pair matching, a common individualization technique, using digital three-dimensional models of bone: mesh-to-mesh value comparison (MVC). The MVC method digitally compares the entire three-dimensional geometry of two bones at once to produce a single value to indicate their similarity. At this time, there is both a manual and automated version of MVC. For this study, 120 temporals from a modern Cretan collection were digitized using CT scans and the 3D modelling program AMIRA 5.3.3. The resulting three-dimensional models of temporals were then analyzed with the manual and automatic versions of MVC in the corresponding software programs Flexscan3D and Viewbox 4.1. The resulting data were then assessed using sensitivity and specificity rates, to indicate how well both versions of MVC pair-matched temporals. Our results indicate that both the manual and automatic versions of the MVC method are highly accurate at pair-matching temporals, with a sensitivity and specificity rate of 100% for the manual version and a sensitivity and specificity rate of 98% and 100% respectively for the automatic version.