To Evaluate the Sensitivity of ABO Antigen Determination from Dental Pulp at Various Temperatures over a Duration of 3 Months - A Diagnostic Study

Introduction: Every individual either living or dead has an unique identity as per theory of uniqueness. Medico legal examination recognizes the blood group as an unique indicator as it remains unchanged, forensic study uses teeth as the unique biological indicator, as they are the least destructible part of the body.. The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy in retrieving ABO blood group antigens from pulp tissue at various temperatures like freezing temperature, 100°C and 200°C with room temperature being the baseline for the study and at various time intervals (same day, 14th, 30th and 90th day) post extraction by adsorption –elution method. Materials and Methods: A diagnostic study of 80 cases was included which involved extraction procedures under local anesthesia following the aseptic protocol. Sterile cotton/gauze was compressed in the socket and later the blood collected from it served as a control group for the study. The extracted teeth were washed and kept, stored in numbered bottles for different time periods after being subjected to different degrees of temperatures i.e. at room temperature, freezing temperature, 100°C and 200°C for 60mins respectively. Results: Goodman Kruskal Gamma test was used for statistical analysis to obtain the correlation between blood groups at different temperatures. After analyzing the ABO antigen for sensitivity at various degree of temperature over different time intervals it was found that at freezing temperature and room temperature, antigens can be assessed , while at higher temperatures it is difficult to appreciate. Conclusion: Adsorption-Elution technique can be used as a reliable tool for determination of ABO blood group from the dental pulp of deceased person.