TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2022//
TI  - Sixty-eight cases of postmortem pink teeth observed in dental autopsies of unidentified cadavers
JO  - Journal of forensic sciences
A1  - Minegishi, Saki
A1  - Utsuno, Hajime
A1  - Ohta, Jun
A1  - Namiki, Shuuji
A1  - Toya, Maiko
A1  - Sumi, Nozomi
A1  - Unuma, Kana
A1  - Saitoh, Hisako
A1  - Iwase, Hirotaro
A1  - Uemura, Koichi
A1  - Sakurada, Koichi
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - 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.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0022-1198
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.15005
ID  - ref1
ER  -