ABO Blood Grouping and Rhesus Factor Determination From Dental Pulp Tissue: A Forensic Research

Introduction Collection of blood samples from mass disaster victims and blood grouping is a challenging task. This can be attributed to various reasons. From the forensic odontology perspective, teeth and bones are one of the noteworthy remains that can be derived from such sites. Aims and objectives The aim of our study is to detect ABO blood groups and Rhesus (Rh) factor from extirpated pulp tissue of the extracted teeth at zero, three, and six months’ time interval by absorption-elution technique. Materials and methods The study consisted of 90 freshly extracted teeth as suggested by a biostatistician. Thirty teeth were analyzed immediately and 60 teeth were stored in vials without any preservative at room temperature. The pulp tissue was extirpated and studied at zero months, three months, and six months to determine blood groups and Rh factors. The extraction socket blood was tested to identify the blood group of that patient and used as a control reference. The blood grouping was done at respective time periods through the absorption-elution method and matched with the control. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 software (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). The chi-square test and Kruskal-Wallis test were done. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Pulp showed the highest sensitivity for blood groups at zero months but it could be identified up to six months, although the sensitivity and specificity gradually decreased. ABO blood grouping showed higher sensitivity than the Rh factor as time progressed. Conclusion In cases where teeth are the only remains in a forensic condition, the dental pulp can be an authentic source for blood group detection.