Color Stability of Dental Restorative Materials Submitted to Heat Sources,for Forensic Purposes

During postmortem examination of the dental arches of carbonized victims, dental restorative materials may be found. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of heat source action on the color stability of composite resin (CR) and glass ionomer cement (GIC) restorations, to discriminate between them and compare with antemortem dental data. Sixty bovine teeth (30 CR and 30 GIC) were prepared (6 × 6 × 2 mm) and separated into groups (n = 10). The color readouts were taken by spectrophotometer, before and after heat action (100°C, 200°C, 300°C), in an oven for 15 min. There were color alterations for all coordinates (ΔE, ΔL*, Δa* eΔb*) for both materials. GIC presented greater change. The authors concluded that it is possible to distinguish between the materials by the color changes analyzed by instrumental method, helping victim identification.     

The Use of the Developmental Rate of the Aquatic Midge Chironomus riparius (Diptera,Chironomidae) in the Assessment of the Postsubmersion Interval

Nonbiting midges (Diptera, Chironomidae) are the most abundant members of the fauna associated with submerged carcasses, but their use in the medicolegal context is very restricted because of their complex ontogeny. In this case, the corpse of a woman was recovered in late spring from a river in Granada (Iberian Peninsula). It showed obvious signs of long permanence in the aquatic environment and, along with pulmonary and microscopical analyses, led to the conclusion that the cause of death was drowning. Several larvae‐like specimens were sampled from the scalp and later identified by morphological external features as IV instar larvae of Chironomus riparius Meigen, 1804 (Diptera, Chironomidae). Sequencing of cytochrome oxidase subunit I was performed to confirm the identification. The knowledge of the biology of C. riparius at low temperatures was critical to assess a postsubmersion interval of 16–17 days.