Application of forensic luminol for blood detection in endodontic files

Author(s)

Rodrigo ARRUDA-VASCONCELOS ^[1] ; Letícia Gomes Ferreira CHANTRE ^[2] ; Rosangela Sabbatini Capella LOPES ^[3] ; Cláudio Cerqueira LOPES ^[4] ; Marlos BARBOSA-RIBEIRO ^[5] ; Brenda Paula Figueiredo de Almeida GOMES ^[6]

Affiliation

^[1] Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Faculdade de Odontologia de Piracicaba - Brasil

^[2] Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Instituto de Química - Brasil

^[3] Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Instituto de Química - Brasil

^[4] Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Instituto de Química - Brasil

^[5] Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Faculdade de Odontologia de Piracicaba - Brasil

^[6] Universidade Estadual de Campinas. Faculdade de Odontologia de Piracicaba - Brasil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Rev. odontol. UNESP; v. 46, n. 4, p. 227-231, 2017-08-00.

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Blood is a biological material with high potential of infectious transmission in dental environments, including herpes simplex, hepatitis and AIDS. Aim To investigate the efficacy of luminol in detecting blood in endodontic files before and after the sterilization process. Material and method Luminol was used to investigate the presence or absence of traces of blood tissue in 50 endodontic files, visible to naked eye or not, after performing endodontic treatment and after the cleaning/sterilization process. The results obtained were tabulated and statistically analyzed by using the Friedman’s test at a significance level of 5% (p<0.05). Result By naked eye, it was found that 31/50 files showed no trace of blood, 8/50 showed a slight presence of blood and 11/50 showed a considerable presence of blood after endodontic treatment. After the use of luminol, however, 16/50 endodontic files showed no trace of blood, 19/50 showed a slight presence of blood and 15/50 showed a considerable presence of blood. After the cleaning and sterilization process, no blood was detected in the files. Conclusion It was concluded that the luminol solution is effective in detecting blood tissue in endodontic files as well as in validating the cleaning/sterilization process. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/23479-5 - Microbiomes and immunobiological aspects in endodontic infections
• Grantee: Brenda Paula Figueiredo de Almeida Gomes
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants