A comparative study to associate the presence of neonatal line in deciduous teeth of infants with the occurrence of live birth

• Published in: Journal of the Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry Vol. 35; no. 3; p. 249
• Main Authors: Srinivasan, Shruti, Murthy, Prashanth Sadashiva, Deshmukh, Seema, Shamsundar, N M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India 01-07-2017
• Subjects: Dental Enamel - ultrastructure; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Infanticide; Live Birth; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Microscopy, Polarization; Stillbirth; Tooth, Deciduous - ultrastructure
• ISSN: 1998-3905

The prominent striae of retzius corresponding to the occurrence of live birth is known as the neonatal line (NNL). The very presence of this line indicates the exposure of the infant to the stressful event of birth.
The study was aimed at locating the NNL in the developing primary teeth of the neonate and associating the presence of NNL to the occurrence of live birth.
The donated bodies of the neonates were taken, and a surgical incision was made along the crest of the alveolar ridge in the maxillary anterior region, enabling the careful removal of the tooth germs from within the jaw segment. The maxillary central incisor tooth germs were embedded in acrylic and viewed under the stereomicroscope, polarized microscope, and scanning electron microscope (SEM).
This being a pilot observational study, no statistical analysis methods were employed.
The NNL was best visualized under polarized microscopy and was clearly appreciated in the control samples and faintly seen in the 10-day-old neonate. No evidence of the line was present in the tooth germ of the stillborn child.
The very presence of the NNL indicates that the infant was alive during the stressful process of birth. This can be used as substantial evidence in infanticide cases brought before the law.