Determination of ABO Blood Group and Rhesus Factor from Teeth: A Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.

ABSTRACT

Background: Identification of a deceased subject can be established not only from the skeletal remains (including the congenital peculiarities in setting of teeth) but it can also be precisely established by blood grouping from the teeth with the help of the absorption-elution technique. Objectives: Our study was conducted to evaluate if dental pulp can be used as a reliable source for determination of ABO blood group and rhesus factor in an individual. Materials & Method: This double-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted on a sample of 250 extracted teeth. An attempt to establish the blood group from pulp was made by absorption-elution method. The collected data were coded, and statistical analysis for comparison of ABO blood groups was done using Cronbach's alpha to check the reliability of the absorption-elusion method in the detection of blood group from dental pulp. Results: On comparison of capillary blood group (slide agglutination method) with pulp blood group (absorption elution technique) of the subjects, we found that positive results were obtained in 235 cases while 15 cases showed negative results. Hence, the sensitivity (ability to measure) of pulp in establishment of blood group was found to be 94%. Conclusion: On the basis of the results obtained from the present study, it could be concluded that pulp is a reliable source of blood group determination for ABO blood grouping where teeth happen to be the only remnants available for personal identification.