Teeth Scanned in 3D Survive 600-Degree Burns in Forensic Pilot Model

When fire consumes a body, few structures endure as well as teeth. Their dense mineralization allows them to retain morphological and genetic information at temperatures that destroy nearly everything else, which is why forensic odontology remains one of the principal identification methods recognized in international disaster victim identification protocols, particularly when fingerprints or DNA cannot be recovered. A new pilot study, published in the Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences, now reports that high-resolution 3D intraoral scanning can document and compare dental features that remain identifiable after exposure to temperatures approaching 600 degrees Celsius, using an experimental model built from human teeth set into porcine mandibles.

The research team, led by Adèle Augier and Daniel Pérez-Mongiovi, set out to address a gap that has long frustrated forensic investigators: although the effects of heat on teeth have been studied extensively, the impact of high temperatures on the specific dental morphological traits used for identification had not been thoroughly evaluated with modern digital imaging. The researchers developed an experimental model combining eleven extracted permanent human teeth—six molars, three incisors, and two canines—obtained from a collaborating dental clinic with informed consent, implanted into fresh porcine mandibles acquired from commercial butcheries.

The choice of a porcine substrate was deliberate. Pig mandibular bone shares well-documented anatomical and histological similarities with its human counterpart, including cortical density, trabecular organization, and surrounding soft tissue thickness. Because the mandibles came from young market pigs with mixed dentition and developing tooth germs, the team prepared artificial sockets in compact bone on the lingual aspect of the mandibular body rather than using the natural alveolar sockets. Each socket was shaped to match the root morphology of its assigned tooth, and primary stability was achieved with light-cured composite resin at the cervical interface. Surrounding buccal soft tissues were wrapped around the teeth to mimic the anatomical environment of an oral cavity, with an external opening intentionally maintained.

Before any thermal treatment, every tooth was documented twice over. High-resolution macro-photography at binocular magnification captured fine details such as cusp patterns, fissures, and surface texture, while a structured-light intraoral scanner—the iTero system from Align Technology—produced high-resolution surface meshes that served as baseline digital models. The teeth were stored in physiological serum, cleaned, and assigned unique identification numbers to ensure traceability throughout the experiment.

Thermal exposure took place in an industrial fireplace powered by natural wood, with temperature continuously monitored by a calibrated digital infrared pyrometer. The model was exposed to temperatures around 600 degrees Celsius, with a monitored range of 550 to 700 degrees, for 20 minutes, and an interim evaluation at the 10-minute mark documented the progression from initial discoloration to pronounced carbonization and early structural degradation. The exposure time was chosen based on preliminary observations indicating that roughly 20 minutes were enough to combust the surrounding soft tissues extensively while limiting severe structural fragmentation of the teeth. A control subgroup of two teeth was embedded exclusively within a porcine soft tissue block, without osseous support, secured by a metal mesh, to probe whether soft tissue alone could shield dental structures from heat.

After burning, the specimens were allowed to cool naturally to room temperature to avoid thermal shock and further fragmentation, then placed in rigid, hermetic containers. Cleaning demanded exceptional care, because heat-damaged dental and bone tissues were extremely fragile. Charred debris, ash, and residual soft tissue were removed with soft-bristled brushes, gauze lightly moistened with distilled water, tweezers, and wooden sticks. A polymer-based acrylic varnish was then sprayed onto the specimens to provide temporary structural support, allowing safer handling without significantly altering the surface appearance. Only then were the teeth extracted from their artificial alveoli with precision forceps and rescanned under the same conditions as the initial acquisition, with pre- and post-thermal models compared in dedicated software.

The results showed a consistent pattern of thermal alteration. Crowns changed color from natural enamel shades to heterogeneous brown, black, and grey tones; surfaces shifted from smooth and glossy to rough, matte, chalky, or vitrified; and structural changes included enamel fissures, longitudinal cracks, delamination, cervical fractures, and fragmentation. Yet despite this damage, the overall crown morphology and several individual anatomical features—groove patterns, cusp size and number, ridges, wear, fractures, and pathological features relevant to forensic identification—remained identifiable and comparable between the pre- and post-thermal 3D scans. The roots remained largely well preserved in all specimens, with no major root fractures or marked deformations, showing only slight discoloration and superficial carbonization in areas close to the external bone surface.

The control teeth embedded only in soft tissue told an equally interesting story. They exhibited macroscopic thermal alterations similar to those of the teeth implanted in mandibles, with comparable color changes and enamel fissuring, yet their crowns and roots remained preserved beneath the charred soft tissues. This suggests that surrounding soft tissues alone may provide a meaningful degree of thermal protection under the experimental conditions. However, the authors caution that with only two control specimens and the qualitative nature of this pilot study, no conclusions can be drawn about the additional protective contribution of bone. They also note that because the human teeth sat in compact bone rather than natural alveolar bone, the observed protection may not fully reproduce conditions in the human alveolar process.

The study also revealed both strengths and limits of the scanning technology itself. In some cases the 3D images outperformed conventional photographs: pronounced occlusal wear was more apparent in the digital models than in corresponding pictures, and some scanners incorporate realistic color into the 3D image, potentially aiding assessment of the temperatures reached. But subtle coronal fissures visible in macro-photographs under appropriate lighting were not captured by the scanner, and on heavily altered surfaces the scanner’s reconstruction algorithms can interpolate areas of the digital mesh to compensate for missing data, a process often accompanied by smoothing that may mask certain micro-surface defects.

The authors are careful to frame these findings within the constraints of a pilot investigation. A single thermal condition—approximately 600 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes—was tested, so the threshold at which dental traits can no longer be reliably compared with antemortem records remains unknown. The experimental setup cannot replicate the fluctuating temperatures, oxygen availability, combustion materials, and variable exposure durations of real fires, the sample size was small, no restorative materials were included, and in severe burn cases access to dental structures may itself require procedures such as mandibular resection. Future work, the team writes, should involve larger samples, a broader range of temperatures and exposure times, restorative and prosthetic materials, and models that more closely reproduce real fire variability, potentially combined with micro-computed tomography to assess internal structural changes. Within those limits, the study demonstrates that dental tissues can preserve diagnostically relevant morphology after exposure to temperatures approaching 600 degrees Celsius, and that careful cleaning and stabilization protocols are essential to protect fragile post-thermal structures. Comparative dental analysis currently contributes to the identification of roughly one-third of victims in disaster victim identification scenarios, and the researchers suggest that antemortem and postmortem 3D imaging records may help raise that percentage, offering a non-destructive, reproducible adjunctive tool for identifying fire victims when dental structures remain sufficiently preserved.

Subject of Research: Preservation of dental morphological features after high-temperature exposure, assessed with 3D intraoral imaging in a porcine mandible model

Article Title: Analysis of intraoral 3D imaging following high-temperature conditions: a forensic model based on porcine mandibles

Article References: Augier, A., Pereira, T., Pinho, T., Teixeira, A., & Pérez-Mongiovi, D. (2026). Analysis of intraoral 3D imaging following high-temperature conditions: a forensic model based on porcine mandibles. Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences, 16(1), Article 82. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41935-026-00583-0

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s41935-026-00583-0

Keywords: forensic odontology, 3D intraoral imaging, dental identification, burned remains, disaster victim identification, porcine mandible model, thermal alteration, enamel fissuring, pilot study, forensic science, Analysis, intraoral