Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42280103›Full record

ArticleMolecules (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Tracing Corrosive Damage in Human Teeth: A Forensic Pilot Study of Household Agents Using Stereomicroscopy, SEM-EDX and Ground Sections.

Larisa Adela Udriştioiu, Marius Enăchescu, Alexia Ecaterina Cârstea, George Cristian Curcă, Mihaela-Monica Popa, Mihai Andrei

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Larisa Adela UdriştioiuDepartment of Legal Medicine and Bioethics, Faculty of Medicine, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania.ORCID 0009-0009-9437-2270
Marius EnăchescuCenter for Surface Science and Nanotechnology, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania.ORCID 0000-0002-8451-8231
Alexia Ecaterina CârsteaFaculty of Dentistry, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Dionisie Lupu Street, No. 37, District 2, 020021 Bucharest, Romania.ORCID 0009-0006-2154-6135
George Cristian CurcăDepartment of Legal Medicine and Bioethics, Faculty of Medicine, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania.ORCID 0000-0002-3708-3597
Mihaela-Monica PopaCenter for Surface Science and Nanotechnology, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania.
Mihai AndreiDepartment of Embryology and Microbiology, Faculty of Dentistry, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Teeth may retain forensic value after chemical exposure, yet the effects of commercially available corrosive agents remain insufficiently characterized. This study evaluated short-term alteration patterns in human teeth exposed to household acidic and alkaline products available on the Romanian market. Five extracted mandibular third molars were analyzed, including four experimental teeth and one control. Each experimental tooth was fully immersed for 48 h in a different agent: hydrochloric acid descaler, sodium hypochlorite bleach, mixed hydrochloric/sulfuric acid descaler, or sodium hydroxide. Morphometric changes, mass, and pH were monitored serially, while stereomicroscopy, SEM-EDX, and hard tissue ground sections were used for structural and compositional assessment. Acid-exposed teeth showed the greatest damage, with major mass loss in the hydrochloric acid and mixed-acid samples, enamel loss, and marked microstructural disruption. The mixed-acid specimen exhibited the most severe collapse and near-complete calcium/phosphorus depletion. Sodium hypochlorite produced mainly superficial and root-level alterations with relative preservation of gross morphology, whereas sodium hydroxide caused minimal dimensional change and a calcium-rich adherent surface deposit. These findings show that household corrosives produce distinct, forensically recognizable dental alteration patterns within 48 h and support an integrated pattern-recognition approach in suspected chemical concealment scenarios.

Indexed as

CausticsHousehold ProductsToothDental EnamelHumansHydrochloric AcidMicroscopy, Electron, ScanningPilot ProjectsSodium HydroxideSodium HypochloriteCausticsHydrochloric AcidSodium HydroxideSodium Hypochloritebody concealmentcorrosive substancesdental and hard tissuesEDXforensic tracesground sectionsSEMstereomicroscopy

Identifiers

PMID42280103
PMCPMC13258362

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.