Background : Teeth are one of the hardest, most stable and most durable structures in the body. They are also easily accessible for examination. Therefore, teeth are a first-rate material for forensic investigations.
Objectives: This study was carried out to test the possibility of detection of ABO blood groups through examination of the pulp of teeth as a soft tissue and the dentin as a hard tissue, and also to evaluate the reliability of teeth stored for a relatively long period of time as a source for blood group identification by absorption–elution technique with some modifications.
Materials & Methods: Fifty-two sound human teeth were examined for the ABO blood groups in both dentin and pulp tissues for both fresh and aged teeth, and results were compared with the blood groups obtained by testing a blood sample of the same individual using the simple slide test. Teeth were split using a new Hand-held pulp Isolator instrument.
Results: The teeth pulp showed a very highly positive correlation in both fresh and aged teeth though it decreased slightly in the latter. Dentin showed a positive correlation in both fresh and aged teeth groups indicating that the dentin as the hard tissue of the teeth is quite reliable to detect blood groups. Effects of the age, sex, and jaw distribution on the blood grouping from the teeth were also carried out.
Conclusion: The hard and soft tissues of teeth are reliable sources for blood group determination and help in human identification. Sensitivity of the ABO antigens detection in dental material is higher in the dental pulp than the dental hard tissue, and it decreases with the lapse of time. Modified absorption elution method is accurate in that respect. Introduction of the new Hand-held pulp Isolator instrument provides more teeth material to be tested, hence more accurate.