Deconstructing non-carious cervical lesions on teeth in forensic contexts

Abstract Non-carious lesions at the cementoenamel junction and cervix of the labial surface of the teeth and their social causes are examined in this chapter. Lesions observed in these areas typically relate to a variety of factors such as abrasive action from the use of toothpaste combined with over-brushing, diseases, the excessive consumption of acidic food, and on some occasions the use of toothpicks. These non-carious lesions at the cementoenamel junction are rarely found in the dentitions of archeologically-derived material. However, they are commonly found in modern-day forensic cases. We explore the significance of this phenomenon with two case studies, and we highlight the importance of these types of lesions in medico-legal investigations in order to aid in the estimation of the postmortem interval (modern vs. ancient) of the remains and the particular characteristics found among the various types of these non-carious lesions.