Postmortem red coloration of teeth. A retrospective investigation of 26 cases.

Postmortem red coloration of teeth (pink teeth) was found in 26 of 119 consecutive autopsy or forensic dental identification cases during 1973-1984. The present study confirms that red coloration of teeth may occur some time after death under conditions that promote putrefaction and adipocere formation. The red coloration is due to hemolysis after exudation of hemoglobin derivatives through the dentine tubules in cases in which blood has accumulated in the head, either due to congestion or by a postmortem head-down position, as after submersion in water.