Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026

Sampling and Pretreatment of Tooth Enamel Carbonate for Stable Carbon and Oxygen Isotope Analysis
Published on: August 15, 2018
Are teeth evidence in acid environment
Makesh Raj1, Karen Boaz, N Srikant
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Tagore Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Aim:
Teeth are the most durable structures that resist destruction more than skeletal tissue Commercially available acids can be used to destroy the body or a part, to mask human identification. The present study examines the effect of caustic acids on human dentition.
Materials And Methods:
Ten upper anterior teeth each were immersed in 37% hydrochloric acid (conc. HCl), 65% nitric acid (conc. HNO3) and 96% sulfuric acid (conc. H2SO4). Teeth were retrieved, washed in distilled water, dried, photographed and radiographed at intervals of 15 min, 30 min, 1 hr, 3 hr, 5 hr and 8 hr.
Results:
Teeth placed in conc. HCl and conc. HNO3 dissolved completely after 8 hours, while that placed in conc. H2SO4 retained its morphology and radiographic dimension even after 8 hours.
Conclusion:
Hence teeth can serve as a tool in identification (age estimation and sex determination) of the victim when in contact with conc. H2SO4.
Related Concept Videos
Acid Attack on Concrete
The rate at which hydrogen...
Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or grinding food.
Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin and...
The Oral Microbiota
Weak Acid Solutions
Mixtures of Acids
A Mixture of a Strong Acid and a Weak Acid
In a mixture of a strong acid and a weak acid, the strong acid dissociates completely and becomes a source of almost all the hydronium ions...

