Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
activated modern interest in this phenomenon by forensic odontology and pathology.
3
Histological sections made from multiple teeth of those victims revealed that the discolor-
ation was confined to the dentin adjacent to the pulp chamber of the tooth. Miles and
coworkers (1954) were the first to suggest that the pink discoloration of the teeth was simply
an artifact of the decomposition process, and not just a byproduct of homicide. This hypoth-
esis marked a turning point in the way that the forensic field viewed the pink teeth problem.
Over the years, pink teeth have been studied under a variety of case-based and experi-
mental conditions. The appearance has been linked to three etiologies: (1) perimortem phys-
ical trauma from asphyxia (strangulation and hanging) and head trauma; (2) peri- and
postmortem moisture exposure (drowning, wet grave); and (3) postmortem longevity
between death and discovery (see
Dye et al., 1995
for a research review).
In wet decomposition,
Beeley and Harvey (1973)
noted differential dentin staining and
Van Wyk (1987)
concluded that the roots of the anterior teeth are most vulnerable to colora-
tion as a result of advanced decomposition. In a similar manner,
Brondum and Simonsen
(1987)
noted a high correlation between putrefaction, adipocere formation, and the occur-
rence of pink teeth.
Clark and Law (1984)
examined the phenomenon in drowned bodies
and discovered differential staining on the left arcade of one victim with the left side of
the head in a dependent position. Besides
Clark and Law (1984)
, Whittaker and McDonald
(1989) also considered discoloration as “maybe analogous to postmortem lividity stains at
the most dependent parts of the body.”
Methods
The outdoor Anthropological Research Facility at the University of Tennessee in Knox-
ville, Tennessee affords an opportunity to study postmortem decomposition. To assess
whether pink teeth form in relation to gravitational lividity, five cadavers were positioned
in head-dependent, face-down posture from April to December. Once teeth exhibited pink
discoloration, they were documented, extracted, and thin sectioned for histological examina-
tion using standard petrographic technique. Light micrographs were taken at 10
and 60
magnification followed by scanning electron microscopy analysis and photography.
Results
All cadavers demonstrated some degree of dentin discoloration. This was documented
through gross and histological examination. Thin sections revealed blood infusion into the
dentin (
Figure 13.6
), as did SEM (
Figure 13.7
). The appearance of pink teeth is not immediate
in nontraumatized remains. It gradually appears similar to generalized decomposition and
may persist long into the skeletal stage. Discoloration is a byproduct of the decomposition
process whereby the vascular integrity in the pulp chamber becomes structurally compro-
mised and leaks vessel contents. Simple gravity allows seepage of the red blood cells into
the tubules. Subsequent discoloration may persist until the remains are righted (or their posi-
tion is changed) and the appearance subsides when the pulp chamber once again becomes
3
John Christie was a serial killer active in England during the 1940s and 1950s. He is known to be responsible
for the deaths of at least eight women between 1943 and 1953.
