Environmental effects on tooth degradation in forensic odontology: a systematic review

Background: Post-mortem tooth degradation is a multifactorial complicated process affected by different environmental conditions. Environmental conditions such as being burnt in extreme temperatures (thermal environment), drowned in water (water environment), or buried in soil (soil environment) influence the preservation of tooth post-mortem. Understanding how those environmental-specific conditions affect tooth degradation enhances accuracy in forensic identification. Main body: A total of 12 journals from PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus were thoroughly examined using PRISMA principles. Two individuals conducted the review of these journals. Original research covering the effects of soil, water, and temperature on tooth decay and free full access which was published within the previous 10 years was required for inclusion in this review. In the meantime, the exclusion criteria are not utilizing English and not conducting original research. The findings presented in this study underscore the significant impact of environmental conditions on tooth and DNA degradation. In thermal conditions, temperatures lead to accelerated structural changes in teeth, with higher temperatures resulting in notable discoloration and compromised integrity. Microbial activity and the complexity of soil composition are key factors in the degradation process in soil environments. In water environments, prolonged exposure to moisture significantly enhances the degradation of dental pulp and structural integrity. Conclusions: Degradation in teeth varies from color changing which shows physical changes up to DNA degradation. Understanding how these factors affect tooth degradation can increase accuracy in the analysis of forensic identification.