Case-specific characteristics of pink teeth in dental autopsies – A systematic review

Franco, Ademir; Oliveira, Murilo Navarro de; Gomes-Lima, Lorenna Keren; Pereira-de-Oliveira, Vinícius Henrique Ferreira; Blumenberg, Cauane; Silva, Rhonan Ferreira; Silva, Ricardo Henrique Alves da; Makeeva, Irina; Santos-Filho, Paulo César Freitas; Paranhos, Luiz Renato

doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2019.101869

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…In the 68 cases with pink teeth, 408 of the 1403 vital teeth were pink teeth (29.1%) and the rate was highest in the anterior teeth (54.7%). This finding is consistent with the report by Franco et al [21] that the pink tooth rate of the incisors and canines was the most prevalent (49.2%). The cause of death was defined as drowning in 18 of 31 cases with pink teeth and a defined cause of death.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…These results may indicate that the coloration of pink teeth is related to cadaveric decomposition [21,24]. In addition, it has been reported that various environmental conditions such as wet, moist, dry, and light might affect the coloration [2][3][4]7,14].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…All cases in this study were unidentified cadavers found in an advanced stage of decomposition, and the frequency of pink teeth tended to increase with time after death, as shown in Table 2. These results may indicate that the coloration of pink teeth is related to cadaveric decomposition [21,24]. In addition, it has been reported that various environmental conditions such as wet, moist, dry, and light might affect the coloration [2–4,7,14].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This phenomenon was first reported in victims of hanging or drowning by Bell in 1829 [1]. Since then, pink teeth have also been reported in cases of sudden and unnatural death due to strangulation, sharp force trauma, drug intoxication, and carbon monoxide poisoning [2–23]. Many researchers have suggested that wet or moist environments and a prone position might be factors in the formation of pink teeth [2,4,7,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sixty‐eight cases of postmortem pink teeth observed in dental autopsies of unidentified cadavers

Minegishi

Utsuno

Ohta

et al. 2022

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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The pink teeth phenomenon was first reported in people who died by hanging or drowning in 1829. In recent years, there have been many reports that the occurrence of postmortem pink teeth is closely related to the condition of surroundings and time after death rather than to the cause of death, as had previously been thought. We observed pink teeth in 68 of 324 unidentified cadavers autopsied during 2015–2021, and we investigated the relationship of pink teeth with age, sex, cadaveric condition, time after death, tooth type, and cause of death. The results showed no significant differences in the occurrence of pink teeth according to sex or place of discovery (indoors, outdoors, or in water). Pink teeth tended to be observed below the age of 60 years. In the 68 cases with pink teeth, 29.1% of all vital teeth were affected, with the anterior teeth being most common. No evidence was found that supported an association between pink teeth and cause of death. These results are largely consistent with recent reports on postmortem pink teeth. As it stands, the pink teeth phenomenon may be nonspecific and must not be misinterpreted in medico‐legal investigations. This case series provides further evidence supporting recent reports and contributes to clarifying in greater detail the mechanisms of the coloration and fading of pink teeth.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%