Dental methods of post-mortem interval estimation. A pilot study on Feulgen reaction for DNA integrity on teeth pulp

Area of Science:

• Forensic Science
• Biochemistry
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Estimating late post-mortem intervals (PMIs) is challenging for forensic pathologists.
• Teeth offer a stable, DNA-rich matrix for PMI estimation, but few studies explore their full potential.
• Dental pulp cells' DNA integrity has not been previously correlated with PMI using Feulgen reaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of using Feulgen reaction colorimetric measurement on odontoblastic cells to estimate late PMIs.
• To evaluate the reliability of dental pulp DNA integrity as an indicator of time since death.
• To explore a novel application of Feulgen reaction in forensic science.

Main Methods:

• Ten extracted teeth were analyzed at five different post-mortem intervals (0 days to 2 months).
• Feulgen reaction staining was applied to odontoblastic cells within the dental pulp.
• Colorimetric analysis using ImageJ software quantified residual DNA integrity to correlate with PMI.

Main Results:

• Odontoblasts remained recognizable for up to 2 months post-mortem, indicating their utility for late PMI estimation.
• The Feulgen reaction method successfully distinguished between different post-mortem intervals (0 vs. 14 days, and 14 days vs. 2 months).
• Preliminary data suggest a feasible correlation between dental pulp cell DNA integrity and elapsed time since death.

Conclusions:

• Feulgen reaction colorimetric measurement on odontoblasts is a promising tool for estimating late post-mortem intervals.
• This method offers a reliable approach for forensic analysis, particularly when distinguishing between extended timeframes.
• Further research is warranted to validate these preliminary findings and establish the method's broader applicability.