Study of secondary dentine deposition in central incisors as an age estimation method for adults.

This work aimed to assess the pulp/tooth area ratio's utility in the upper central incisors using orthopantomograms. A convenience sample of 801 adult patient orthopantomograms was studied. Image J® software was used to measure the pulp/tooth area ratio, and a regression model was developed. Our results conclude that the methodology assessing upper incisors' pulp/tooth area ratio using orthopantomograms can lead to age overestimation and statistically significant differences between chronological and estimated age. For those over 50, no correlation between pulp/tooth area ratio and chronological age was found, suggesting that this may be the upper limit of this technique in this population. This methodology may not be suitable for age estimation, particularly in older adults.

Does third molar agenesis influence the second lower molar mineralization?

Different studies have established that the mineralization stages of the second mandibular molar can be used in forensic age estimation. Nowadays, the estimate's accuracy is an ethical concern, producing as few false positives (individuals incorrectly classified as older than a determined threshold) and false negatives (individuals incorrectly classified as younger than a determined threshold) as possible. Some have hypothesized that changes in teeth number may influence tooth mineralization, altering the age estimate process. This paper analyzes whether third molar agenesis affects the second mandibular molar mineralization time frame. To do so, 355 orthopantomograms were evaluated for third molar agenesis, and the second mandibular molar mineralization stage was assessed using the Demirjian stages. Student's t-test was used to compare the difference in the mean age at which the various stages of 37 mineralization were reached in the groups with and without third molar agenesis. The level of statistical significance was set at 5%. The results pointed to a delay in second mandibular molar mineralization in the case of agenesis, suggesting the need to consider this when estimating age using dental techniques.

Forensic microbiology and bite marks: a systematic review.

The forensic role of microbiology in bite mark analysis as evidence in a court of law has not yet been explored, as the analysis of bite marks is mostly morphology-based. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate if the analysis of the oral microbiota may be helpful as a complementary forensic tool. Articles were searched on the PubMed database, using predefined data fields and keywords. The final selection included a total of 6 papers (out of 42). Our results indicated that the Streptococcus genus is a key player in the analysis of bite mark microbiology from a forensic perspective and its genomic analysis may facilitate the association of a bite mark to the perpetrator. However, much more research is still needed before this forensic strategy can be applied in real scenarios. There is a need to optimize and standardize the methods of microbiome analysis and to determine several factors that may influence the results, such as the frequency of bacterial genotypes in the human population and the temporal stability of the oral microbiome on human skin.

Characterization of lip prints in a Portuguese twins' population.

Lip print patterns are referred to as unique to each individual, but controversy exists surrounding twins. In this study, the lip prints of 19 pairs of monozygotic and 47 pairs of dizygotic twins were studied. The left lower lip was photographed and the furrows were classified using Renaud's classification. Results showed the same lip pattern was found only in one monozygotic pair (5.3%) and in 4 dizygotic pairs (8.5%), and no significant statistical differences were found between groups (p > 0.05). In monozygotic twins only type C furrows presence displayed statistical significant differences (p=0.034). As for dizygotic twins, there were statistical significant differences in the frequency of type A (p=0.005) and type G furrows (p=0.018). As for the most common types, both groups displayed a higher prevalence of vertical furrows (type B: 97.4% and 96.8%, type A: 86.8% and 87.2%, in monozygotic and dizygotic, respectively). The least frequent furrow type was type I and type E in monozygotic (2.6% and 5.3%, respectively) and types E, F and I, in dizygotic (6.4%, 7.4%. and 7.4%, respectively). Our results seem to point out that lip print patterns should be useful carefully in twins' identification.

Physical violence against children and adolescents in Recife: a 5-year retrospective study.

The aim of the present study was to analyze the prevalence results of physical violence against children and adolescents in a 5-year period in Recife, Brazil. Inter-personal violence is one of the most recognizable forms of child aggression and has become as an imperative public health issue. All violence related forensic reports performed between 2009 and 2013 in the clinical services of the Institute of Legal Medicine Antônio Percivo Cunha were analyzed. Victims were classified according to sex, age, relationship with perpetrator, injuries and year of occurrence. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS (version 22.0). Continuous variables were described and when appropriate, frequencies were displayed and compared. The association between variables was evaluated using chi-square and Fisher's exact test. The margin of error for the statistical tests was 5.0%. A total of 9783 occurrences were evaluated, involving mainly male subjects (n=5447, 55.7%). Victims' mean age was 13.9 years, the most common perpetrators were victims' acquaintances (n=2538, 25.9%). Facial injuries were the most frequent affecting a little over a fifth of the total sample (n=3673, 20.1%). These findings support the important role dentists can play in identifying and reporting physical violence against children and adolescents.

Post-mortem microbiology in sudden death: sampling protocols proposed in different clinical settings.

BACKGROUND: Autopsies, including minimally invasive autopsies, are a powerful tool for determination of the cause of death. When a patient dies from an infection, microbiology is crucial to identify the causative organism. Post-mortem microbiology (PMM) aims to detect unexpected infections causing sudden deaths; confirm clinically suspected but unproven infection; evaluate the efficacy of antimicrobial therapy; identify emergent pathogens; and recognize medical errors. Additionally, the analysis of the thanatomicrobiome may help to estimate the post-mortem interval. AIMS: The aim was to provide advice in the collection of PMM samples and to propose sampling guidelines for microbiologists advising autopsy pathologists facing different sudden death scenarios. SOURCES: A multidisciplinary team with experts in various fields of microbiology and autopsies on behalf of the ESGFOR (ESCMID - European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases - study group of forensic and post-mortem microbiology and in collaboration with the European Society of Pathology) developed this narrative review based on a literature search using MedLine and Scopus electronic databases supplemented with their own expertise. CONTENT: These guidelines address measures to prevent sample contamination in autopsy microbiology; general PMM sampling technique; protocols for PMM sampling in different scenarios and using minimally invasive autopsy; and potential use of the evolving post-mortem microbiome to estimate the post-mortem interval. IMPLICATIONS: Adequate sampling is paramount to identify the causative organism. Meaningful interpretation of PMM results requires careful evaluation in the context of clinical history, macroscopic and histological findings. Networking and closer collaboration among microbiologists and autopsy pathologists is vital to maximize the yield of PMM.

Examining the socioeconomic effects on third molar maturation in a Portuguese sample of children, adolescents and young adults.

INTRODUCTION: The impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on tooth mineralization has seldom been evaluated. This is important because SES can be used as a proxy for quantifying factors in the environmental that can impact mineralization but that can be difficult to measure directly, such as nutrition. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the effects of SES on third molar mineralization, using a sample of children, adolescents and young adults from Porto, Portugal. METHODS: Panoramic x-rays from 1747 patients (842 males and 904 females) were used in this study. Eight hundred and fifteen individuals were patients attending a private practice and were classified as high SES (384 males and 458 females), whereas the remaining 932 subjects (458 males and 474 females) were patients attending the dental clinic at the Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Porto and were classified as low SES. Inclusion of individuals on the each SES group was also based on parental and own occupation. The mandibular third molar was assessed for its maturation using Demirjian's stages. The median age of attainment of root stages was calculated for stages D to H, using logistic regression and compared between the high and low SES samples. RESULTS: Boys from the higher SES group show an earlier median age of attainment for stages D, E, and F. Girls from the higher SES group also show an earlier median age of attainment, but for stages D and E. Stages G and H did not show SES differences in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS: Patients from the higher SES group showed a consistent advancement in maturation of the third molar, although SES differences diminish and eventually disappear in the last stages of root maturation. An accelerated effect related to overweight and obesity is suggested as the primary explanation.

The Oral Microbiome in Health and Its Implication in Oral and Systemic Diseases.

The oral microbiome can alter the balance between health and disease, locally and systemically. Within the oral cavity, bacteria, archaea, fungi, protozoa, and viruses may all be found, each having a particular role, but strongly interacting with each other and with the host, in sickness or in health. A description on how colonization occurs and how the oral microbiome dynamically evolves throughout the host's life is given. In this chapter the authors also address oral and nonoral conditions in which oral microorganisms may play a role in the etiology and progression, presenting the up-to-date knowledge on oral dysbiosis as well as the known underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms involving oral microorganisms in each condition. In oral pathology, oral microorganisms are associated with several diseases, namely dental caries, periodontal diseases, endodontic infections, and also oral cancer. In systemic diseases, nonoral infections, adverse pregnancy outcomes, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes are among the most prevalent pathologies linked with oral cavity microorganisms. The knowledge on how colonization occurs, how oral microbiome coevolves with the host, and how oral microorganisms interact with each other may be a key factor to understand diseases etiology and progression.