Facial Reconstruction

When skeletal remains are found one of the first things to be done are to identify the person. Though this can be done anthropologically, forms of facial reconstruction can be used to create a 3D image of the person.

One method of human identification is video-superimposition. This is laying a radiograph of the skull over a photograph of a person to see if it is a match. This is simply one form of identifying a person, though this method is still being developed.

Cranio-facial reconstruction is quickly becoming an indispensable tool to forensic scientists trying to identify a person. This technique produces a three-dimensional model of the head and face from the skull. The face created can then be used to identify skeletal remains. The face can be used in comparison to other pictures or descriptions of a missing person, therefore establishing who the skeleton once was. It is a very complex technique that requires both great knowledge and skill to carry out.

At the moment most cranio-facial reconstruction has been directed towards history. Historians use the technique to create the face of an historical character whose features are not known. Despite its current uses, cranio-facial reconstruction is still a valuable tool to forensic scientists.