ABSTRACT. Forensic dental identification has further developed owing to the application of high-precision physico-chemical techniques enabling detection of stable trace-element profiles in hard dental tissues that reflect environmental exposure, dietary factors, and long-term exogenous influences persisting despite pronounced post-mortem changes and destruction of soft tissues.
Objective. To analyze and systematize scientific data on the forensic significance of trace-element composition of dental tissues in personal identification, taking into account analytical and isotopic methods, interpretation of geochemical markers, and differences between national and international expert approaches.
Materials and Methods. A literature search was conducted in the PubMed, Scopus, and eLIBRARY databases for the period 2000–2025; sources addressing elemental analysis of enamel, dentin, and cementum, as well as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, laser ablation techniques, X-ray fluorescence, and electron-microscopic methods in forensic practice, were included in the review.
Results. It was shown that concentrations and spatial distributions of strontium, barium, lead, zinc, and copper form a stable set of chemical features suitable for reconstructing geographic origin and individual environmental exposure. High diagnostic value of laser-ablation mass spectrometry and energy-dispersive spectroscopy for localized dental tissue analysis was noted.
Conclusion. Trace-element composition of dental tissues constitutes an independent class of highly informative identification features in forensic medicine, and the integration of geochemical analyses with conventional forensic odontological examinations increases the reproducibility of expert conclusions and the effectiveness of personal identification.
KEYWORDS: dentistry, trace elements, identification, enamel, dentin.
For citation: Kamalyan A.V., Barinov E.H. Forensic significance of trace element composition of dental tissues in personal identification. Trace elemets in medicine. 2026;27(1):24-30. DOI: 10.19112/2413-6174-2026-27-1-24-30
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Information about the authors:
A.V. Kamalyan – Ph.D. (Med.), Senior Research Scientist
E-mail: 9262465066@mail.ru; ORCID: 0009-0004-6139-0898; SPIN: 7603-6169
E.V. Barinov – Dr.Sc. (Med.), Professor, Honored Doctor of the Russian Federation,
Honored Scientist and Educator of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences
E-mail: ev.barinov@mail.ru; ORCID: 0000-0003-4236-4219; SPIN: 2587-2821
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no obvious and potential conflicts of interest related to the publication of this article.
