Characterization of agglomerated incremental lines of tooth cementum subjected to various temperatures
Abstract Background Fire disasters have emerged as one of the most prevalent causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Under these conditions, individuals may be exposed to extremely high temperatures. Identifying such human remains in forensic investigations, particularly those subjected to extr...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SpringerOpen
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s41935-025-00463-z |
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| Summary: | Abstract Background Fire disasters have emerged as one of the most prevalent causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Under these conditions, individuals may be exposed to extremely high temperatures. Identifying such human remains in forensic investigations, particularly those subjected to extreme temperatures, is challenging yet crucial. This study aimed to investigate the impact of different temperatures on the morphological and histological features of the human dental cementum, with an emphasis on the agglomeration patterns of tooth cementum annulation (TCA). Results Extracted mandibular premolar teeth (n = 30) were divided into two groups, direct and protected exposure groups. The samples were heated at 300 °C, 600 °C, and 1200 °C for 40 min. Post-exposure morphological measurements and histological examinations were performed to assess the effects of thermal exposure. Distinct temperature-dependent changes in the tooth morphology and cementum structure were observed. At 300 °C, both direct and protected exposure samples exhibited minimal morphological changes with intact and countable TCA. Samples directly exposed to 600 °C exhibited significant structural damage and became extremely fragile, whereas the protected samples demonstrated partial preservation with agglomerated TCA. At 1200 °C, severe fragmentation and micro-fractures were observed, particularly in the directly exposed samples, rendering the TCA counting impractical. The differences in morphological changes between the direct and protected exposure groups were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusions This study highlights the resilience of the posterior teeth and the differential impacts of direct and protected thermal exposure. These results highlight the utility of TCA as a pathobiological marker for assessing the degree of thermal exposure in forensic settings. Moreover, understanding the morphological and histological alterations in dental cementum under varying temperatures can facilitate fire investigations by forensic odontologists. |
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| ISSN: | 2090-5939 |