{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T04:59:26Z","timestamp":1787029166936,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,23]],"date-time":"2026-05-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779494400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Teeth may retain forensic value after chemical exposure, yet the effects of commercially available corrosive agents remain insufficiently characterized. This study evaluated short-term alteration patterns in human teeth exposed to household acidic and alkaline products available on the Romanian market. Five extracted mandibular third molars were analyzed, including four experimental teeth and one control. Each experimental tooth was fully immersed for 48 h in a different agent: hydrochloric acid descaler, sodium hypochlorite bleach, mixed hydrochloric\/sulfuric acid descaler, or sodium hydroxide. Morphometric changes, mass, and pH were monitored serially, while stereomicroscopy, SEM-EDX, and hard tissue ground sections were used for structural and compositional assessment. Acid-exposed teeth showed the greatest damage, with major mass loss in the hydrochloric acid and mixed-acid samples, enamel loss, and marked microstructural disruption. The mixed-acid specimen exhibited the most severe collapse and near-complete calcium\/phosphorus depletion. Sodium hypochlorite produced mainly superficial and root-level alterations with relative preservation of gross morphology, whereas sodium hydroxide caused minimal dimensional change and a calcium-rich adherent surface deposit. These findings show that household corrosives produce distinct, forensically recognizable dental alteration patterns within 48 h and support an integrated pattern-recognition approach in suspected chemical concealment scenarios.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules31111797","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,25]],"date-time":"2026-05-25T00:30:33Z","timestamp":1779669033000},"page":"1797","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Tracing Corrosive Damage in Human Teeth: A Forensic Pilot Study of Household Agents Using Stereomicroscopy, SEM-EDX and Ground Sections"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"31","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-9437-2270","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Larisa Adela","family":"Udri\u015ftioiu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Legal Medicine and Bioethics, Faculty of Medicine, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"National Institute of Legal Medicine \u201cMina Minovici\u201d, 042122 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8451-8231","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marius","family":"En\u0103chescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Surface Science and Nanotechnology, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Academy of Romanian Scientists, StreetIlfov 3, 030167 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-2154-6135","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexia Ecaterina","family":"C\u00e2rstea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Dionisie Lupu Street, No. 37, District 2, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3708-3597","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"George Cristian","family":"Curc\u0103","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Legal Medicine and Bioethics, Faculty of Medicine, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"National Institute of Legal Medicine \u201cMina Minovici\u201d, 042122 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mihaela-Monica","family":"Popa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Surface Science and Nanotechnology, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mihai","family":"Andrei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Embryology and Microbiology, Faculty of Dentistry, \u201cCarol Davila\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"117","article-title":"Das Verschwindenlassen der Leiche beim Mord","volume":"104","author":"Schneikert","year":"1939","journal-title":"Arch. 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