Forensic or Archaeological Issue: Is Chemical Analysis of Dental Restorations Helpful in Assessing Time Since Death and Identification of Skeletonized Human Remains?
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Zelic, KsenijaDjonic, Danijela
Nešković, Olivera M.
Stoiljković, Milovan
Nikolic, Slobodan
Živković, Vladimir
Đurić, Marija
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In 2011, small mass grave with completely skeletonized remains was discovered in Belgrade suburb. An eyewitness claimed that skeletons belonged to German soldiers killed in WWII. Anthropologists were engaged to investigate whether the skeletal remains correspond to the indicated German group or represent more recent case requiring court trial. Numerous dental restorations were noticed. Owing to the fact that different dental materials were used in dental practice at certain times, the aim of this study was to explore whether analysis of dental restorations could help in identification and estimation of time since death. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry revealed that dental fillings corresponded to copper amalgam, conventional silver amalgam, silicophosphate cement, and zinc phosphate cement. Chemical results combined with anthropological and historical facts suggest that the individuals lived before the 1960s in country with well-developed dental service at that... time. Therefore, chemical analysis of dental fillings was useful to distinguish between skeletal remains that are too old to be of forensic interest and the remains relevant to legal investigations.
Keywords:
forensic science / dental forensic / identification / dental fillings / time since death / mass graveSource:
Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2013, 58, 5, 1284-1288Funding / projects:
- Functional, Functionalized and Advanced Nanomaterials (RS-MESTD-Integrated and Interdisciplinary Research (IIR or III)-45005)
DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.12228
ISSN: 0022-1198
PubMed: 23866008
WoS: 000323894200024
Scopus: 2-s2.0-84883558145
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VinčaTY - JOUR AU - Zelic, Ksenija AU - Djonic, Danijela AU - Nešković, Olivera M. AU - Stoiljković, Milovan AU - Nikolic, Slobodan AU - Živković, Vladimir AU - Đurić, Marija PY - 2013 UR - https://vinar.vin.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/5654 AB - In 2011, small mass grave with completely skeletonized remains was discovered in Belgrade suburb. An eyewitness claimed that skeletons belonged to German soldiers killed in WWII. Anthropologists were engaged to investigate whether the skeletal remains correspond to the indicated German group or represent more recent case requiring court trial. Numerous dental restorations were noticed. Owing to the fact that different dental materials were used in dental practice at certain times, the aim of this study was to explore whether analysis of dental restorations could help in identification and estimation of time since death. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry revealed that dental fillings corresponded to copper amalgam, conventional silver amalgam, silicophosphate cement, and zinc phosphate cement. Chemical results combined with anthropological and historical facts suggest that the individuals lived before the 1960s in country with well-developed dental service at that time. Therefore, chemical analysis of dental fillings was useful to distinguish between skeletal remains that are too old to be of forensic interest and the remains relevant to legal investigations. T2 - Journal of Forensic Sciences T1 - Forensic or Archaeological Issue: Is Chemical Analysis of Dental Restorations Helpful in Assessing Time Since Death and Identification of Skeletonized Human Remains? VL - 58 IS - 5 SP - 1284 EP - 1288 DO - 10.1111/1556-4029.12228 ER -
@article{ author = "Zelic, Ksenija and Djonic, Danijela and Nešković, Olivera M. and Stoiljković, Milovan and Nikolic, Slobodan and Živković, Vladimir and Đurić, Marija", year = "2013", abstract = "In 2011, small mass grave with completely skeletonized remains was discovered in Belgrade suburb. An eyewitness claimed that skeletons belonged to German soldiers killed in WWII. Anthropologists were engaged to investigate whether the skeletal remains correspond to the indicated German group or represent more recent case requiring court trial. Numerous dental restorations were noticed. Owing to the fact that different dental materials were used in dental practice at certain times, the aim of this study was to explore whether analysis of dental restorations could help in identification and estimation of time since death. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry revealed that dental fillings corresponded to copper amalgam, conventional silver amalgam, silicophosphate cement, and zinc phosphate cement. Chemical results combined with anthropological and historical facts suggest that the individuals lived before the 1960s in country with well-developed dental service at that time. Therefore, chemical analysis of dental fillings was useful to distinguish between skeletal remains that are too old to be of forensic interest and the remains relevant to legal investigations.", journal = "Journal of Forensic Sciences", title = "Forensic or Archaeological Issue: Is Chemical Analysis of Dental Restorations Helpful in Assessing Time Since Death and Identification of Skeletonized Human Remains?", volume = "58", number = "5", pages = "1284-1288", doi = "10.1111/1556-4029.12228" }
Zelic, K., Djonic, D., Nešković, O. M., Stoiljković, M., Nikolic, S., Živković, V.,& Đurić, M.. (2013). Forensic or Archaeological Issue: Is Chemical Analysis of Dental Restorations Helpful in Assessing Time Since Death and Identification of Skeletonized Human Remains?. in Journal of Forensic Sciences, 58(5), 1284-1288. https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.12228
Zelic K, Djonic D, Nešković OM, Stoiljković M, Nikolic S, Živković V, Đurić M. Forensic or Archaeological Issue: Is Chemical Analysis of Dental Restorations Helpful in Assessing Time Since Death and Identification of Skeletonized Human Remains?. in Journal of Forensic Sciences. 2013;58(5):1284-1288. doi:10.1111/1556-4029.12228 .
Zelic, Ksenija, Djonic, Danijela, Nešković, Olivera M., Stoiljković, Milovan, Nikolic, Slobodan, Živković, Vladimir, Đurić, Marija, "Forensic or Archaeological Issue: Is Chemical Analysis of Dental Restorations Helpful in Assessing Time Since Death and Identification of Skeletonized Human Remains?" in Journal of Forensic Sciences, 58, no. 5 (2013):1284-1288, https://doi.org/10.1111/1556-4029.12228 . .