Browsing by Author "Van Wyk C.W."
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- ItemA grave matter - Dental findings of people buried in the 19th and 20th centuries(1990) Van Wyk C.W.; Theunissen F.; Phillips V.M.The exhumed remains of 181 people, buried during the period 1848-1984 were examined. Because of the carelessness of exhumations, only 125 yielded sufficient information to compare the condition of skulls and jaws with the period in the grave, while 63 yielded information about the teeth. No correlation could be shown between the condition of the skulls and jaws and the period interred, but it was found that the better preserved remains belonged to younger people. Dental findings included the presence of healthy and decayed teeth, gold foil restorations, gold and porcelain inlays, amalgam and silicate fillings, and vulcanite and acrylic dentures. Amalgam restorations were present in people bruied from 1875 (114 years ago) and vulcanite dentures from 1882 (107 years ago). The characteristics of the earliest amalgam restorations showed that they could have been placed before 1850. Findings of this study indicate that: (a) one cannot on the appearance of exhumed remains estimate the burial period, (b) dental features were well preserved and can be used for dental identification if antemortem data are available, (c) advanced dentistry could have been practised in South Africa during the last century, and (d) recovery of human skeletal remains from old cemeteries should be undertaken with care to preserve as much information as possible. A plea is made for closer co-operation between developers of old graveyard sites and scientists in order to preserve as much information as possible.
- ItemAge determination in a living individual - A case report(1987) Thomas C.J.; Nortje C.J.; Van Rensburg B.G.J.; Van Wyk C.W.A case is presented where age determination in a living individual could not be effected by removal and sectioning of a central incisor tooth. An approximate age was derived from ulna/radius epiphyseal ossification, skull suture, spheno-occipital synchondrosis and third molar eruption, apical closure and general occlusal attrition. Because age at the time of an accident was a critical factor and the individual concerned had no documentary evidence of his age a compensation claim for loss of a leg was being contested by an insurance company. The case never went to court as the evidence of age presented by the forensic odontologists proved to be sufficiently convincing.
- ItemThe areca nut chewing habit and oral squamous cell carcinoma in South African Indians. A retrospective study(Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1993-06) Van Wyk C.W.; Stander I.; Padayachee A.; Grobler-Rabie A.F.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A retrospective study (1983-1989) of oral squamous carcinomas and concomitant oral habits was undertaken in South African Indians from Natal. Information came from hospital records and interviews with patients, families and friends. There were 143 oral squamous carcinomas; these occurred in a ratio of 1:1,6 for men and women respectively. Squamous carcinomas of the cheek (buccal mucosa, alveolar sulcus and gingiva) occurred most frequently, especially in women (57/89-64%), while in men tongue cancer predominated (22/54-41-%). Ninety-three per cent of women (83/87) and 17% of men (9/54) habitually chewed the areca nut. Thirty-nine of 57 women (68%) with cheek cancer and 21/25 (84%) with tongue cancer only chewed the nut (no tobacco, snuff or smoking). Analyses confirmed an association between nut chewing and cheek cancer. The odds ratio (OR) for oral cancer in women 25 years and older who only chewed the nut was 43,9 and the attributable risk (AR) 0,89 (89%). With tobacco the OR increases to 47,42 and the AR to 0,91 (91%). The data showed that the areca nut habit with or without tobacco use is important in the development of oral squamous carcinoma. Elimination of this habit can reduce the risk in these women substantially (89-91%) if all other factors remain the same.
- ItemIncidence of fungi and aflatoxins in imported areca nut samples(1996) Van Der Bijl P.; Stockenstrom S.; Vismer H.F.; Van Wyk C.W.The carcinogenic, embryotoxic and immunotoxic properties of areca nuts are well documented. The nuts may also contain aflatoxins, but these have not been adequately quantified In products. The latter and the variable nut consumption pattern among chewers make estimations of exposure to aflatoxins and hence their contribution to the overall toxicity of the nut difficult. The aflatoxin content and incidence of fungi of boiled, baked and raw areca nut samples procured from different commercial outlets were determined. Only the raw, sliced nut samples contained aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 (3.5-26.2 μg kg-1). Forty per cent of these samples contained aflatoxin B1 in excess of the commonly accepted foodstuff limit of 5 μg kg-1. Based on areca nut consumption data of South African Indians, it was calculated that chewers of raw areca nut may be exposed to total aflatoxin (B1 + B2 + G1+ G2) quantities of 3.6-1080 ng per 24 h. Raw nut samples were relatively heavily contaminated with Aspergillus flavus, the counts of which corresponded with their aflatoxin content. Boiled nut samples harboured A. glaucus species which were not present on either baked or raw nuts. It was concluded that in such countries as India and Taiwan, chewers of raw areca may be exposed to concentrations of aflatoxins which may enhance the carcinogenic effects of these nuts on human tissues. It is unlikely, however, based on data regarding areca nut consumption among South African chewers, that the levels of aflatoxin on these nuts pose a health hazard.
- ItemPink teeth of the dead: 1. A clinical and histological description(1987) Van Wyk C.W.The findings of 21 cases with post-mortem pink teeth are described. Causes of death were drowing, burning, knifing and unknown. In the majority of cases all the teeth were equally pink but in some the colour of the anterior teeth was more prominent. In two instances the two sides of the jaws differed, in one the teeth of one side were markedly lighter and in the other one side showed no staining. Staining is always confined to the dentine. The enamel, cementum, radicular sclerosed dentine, secondary dentine and the dentine on which secondary dentine has been laid down are spared. Pulps of pink teeth vary from bright red to dark brown and in the majority of cases pulpal discolouration is confined to the crown and only that dentine adjacent to the discoloured pulp has taken up the pigment. In our series it seems that the pink teeth were mainly caused by accumulation of blood in the pulps due to pooling in the head and neck region.
- ItemPink teeth of the dead: II. Minor variations(1988) Van Wyk C.W.One hundred and seventy five ground sections of teeth removed for age determination from unidentified bodies were reviewed. The causes of death were motor vehicle accidents, murders, train accidents, natural causes, gunshot wounds, fires, drownings, suicides, explosions and unknown causes. The period after death at the time of the extractions ranged from 1 day to over 21 days and were unknown in some cases. In addition, 20 sections of freshly extracted teeth from patients undergoing treatment were studied after preparation in batches of 5 on day 4, 10, 15 and 20 after extraction. Forty five of the 175, and none of the 20 freshly extracted teeth depicted a dark discoloration of the pulp. The discoloration involved the coronal, the radicular or the whole pulp. The discoloured material consisted of structureless pulp tissue, prominent darkly pigmented vessels or both. Staining of the dentine was present in 13 specimens, always in relation to the discoloured part of the pulp and occurred only in those teeth where the pulpal tissues were homogeneously discoloured. No statistical correlation could be found between causes of death, period after death or any of the pulpal features associated with staining. It is concluded that when teeth appear pink clinically they represent the most prominent form of post-mortem staining and that a spectrum of minor staining patterns of the pulp and dentine exists.
- ItemThe palatal rugae in an identification(1988) Thomas C.J.; Van Wyk C.W.It is a well established fact that the ruga pattern is as unique to a human as his fingerprints. It has also been found that in cases of severe mutilation and burning where the fingers and other superficial features of the body, including the face, are lost the palatal tissues remain remarkably well preserved. Any dentures which may be present, if they are not expelled from the mouth by concomitant violence at the time of accident or assault also tend to remain unharmed and sheltered by tongue and cheeks. Such dentures could have a proper mark in which case the identity of the victim would not be in any doubt. As denture marking is still spasmodic however other marks such as imprints of palatal rugae can be of use if an ante-mortem record exists. This is the principle which is so important in the identification of dentate individuals whose dental records are extant and obtainable. This report describes the identification of a severely charred edentulous body which had with it a set of dentures which could be compared with another set found in the suspected victim's home.