The teeth are amongst the most resilient elements of the human skeleton and are thus often utilised in routine forensic investigation involving the identification of unknown remains. The teeth, however, also have other practical forensic applications. Teeth exposed to thermal stress have the potential to not only aid in identification but also in understanding the circumstances surrounding the fire. Previous investigations have drawn conclusions that if a fire flares up suddenly and intensively, the teeth burst and enamel is lost. If the blaze commences gently and burns slowly, then the first observable morphologic change is the colour. The teeth subsequently are difficult to handle, thus changes in teeth can indicate the history of exposure to thermal conditions. Children are twice as likely to become victims of house fire because of an inability to safely evacuate from areas of danger. The literature demonstrates, however, that research on the effects of incineration on teeth is mostly restricted to the permanent teeth. The apparent lack of knowledge on the effects of incineration on deciduous teeth thus necessitates further research in this area. This research project primarily aims at understanding the effect of extreme temperatures on deciduous teeth. It also aims to relate colour changes that occur post heating with fragility to aid in proper handling of samples in a forensic scenario and to determine the possibility of identifying incineration temperature based on tooth condition. The samples analysed composed of 90 deciduous teeth (45 molars and 45 anteriors) extracted as a part of clinical treatment were used for the study. The project involved exposing extracted deciduous teeth to temperatures ranging from 100°C to 1100°C for 30 minutes using a laboratory Gallenkamp oven. Unheated deciduous teeth were used as controls for the project. Post-incineration the teeth were then analysed under a stereomicroscope and SEM for morphological changes. A colorimetric analysis was also undertaken to evaluate the colour changes induced in the primary teeth due to the thermal stress. It was found that it was possible to identify the incineration temperature based on the tooth condition when the colour changes, stereomicroscopic findings and SEM images were utilised collectively. It was also concluded that the thermally induced changes observed in primary teeth occur at lower temperatures in comparison to the permanent teeth. It was also established that post-incineration deciduous teeth are fragile and show a tendency to fragment after minimal exposure to thermal stress as compared to the permanent teeth. Moreover enamel and dentin remained identifiable in primary teeth even after exposure to 1100°C for 30 minutes while cementum lost its structural morphology at 900°C.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/258958 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Karkhanis, Shalmira |
| Publisher | University of Western Australia. Centre for Forensic Science |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Shalmira Karkhanis, http://www.itpo.uwa.edu.au/UWA-Computer-And-Software-Use-Regulations.html |
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