IADR Abstract Archives
Depth of Thermal-Related Fissures in Human Teeth
Objectives: Exposure to high temperatures can cause teeth to fracture and each particular part of the tooth has been seen to fracture in a particular way; transverse fractures have been observed in the roots while cusps have been seen to fracture along the cusp margins.
Understanding the dimensional and morphological changes of teeth following burning can be critical in evaluating the victim’s age and identity. Dentition has been compared to fingerprints as each person has a unique combination of wear, missing teeth, and restorations which are in and of themselves uniquely shaped and sized for each individual.
Methods: Eighteen human maxillary molars that were extracted for routine dental treatment reasons were randomly placed in two groups. One group was burned at 400C for 60 minutes and the second group was burned at 700°C for 60 minutes in a Cole-Parmer StableTemp Box Furnace (ThermoFisher Scientific). Following burning, the resultant fissures in the roots of the teeth were examined using a µsurf Explorer confocal 3D microscope (Nanofocus AG). For each tooth, two fissures were chosen at random and three depth measurements were taken at random locations along each of the two fissures.
Results: An independent sample t-test carried out using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 22, IBM) revealed that there is a significant difference in fissure depth dependent on temperature (p<0.05).
Conclusions: The depth of thermal-related fissures in tooth roots increases with increased temperature. As such, this is another measurement that can be used to determine that temperature at which a tooth was burned. Further research may include determining if temperatures have a certain average fissure depth as well as whether the duration of exposure also influences the fissure depth.
Understanding the dimensional and morphological changes of teeth following burning can be critical in evaluating the victim’s age and identity. Dentition has been compared to fingerprints as each person has a unique combination of wear, missing teeth, and restorations which are in and of themselves uniquely shaped and sized for each individual.
Methods: Eighteen human maxillary molars that were extracted for routine dental treatment reasons were randomly placed in two groups. One group was burned at 400C for 60 minutes and the second group was burned at 700°C for 60 minutes in a Cole-Parmer StableTemp Box Furnace (ThermoFisher Scientific). Following burning, the resultant fissures in the roots of the teeth were examined using a µsurf Explorer confocal 3D microscope (Nanofocus AG). For each tooth, two fissures were chosen at random and three depth measurements were taken at random locations along each of the two fissures.
Results: An independent sample t-test carried out using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 22, IBM) revealed that there is a significant difference in fissure depth dependent on temperature (p<0.05).
Conclusions: The depth of thermal-related fissures in tooth roots increases with increased temperature. As such, this is another measurement that can be used to determine that temperature at which a tooth was burned. Further research may include determining if temperatures have a certain average fissure depth as well as whether the duration of exposure also influences the fissure depth.
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