Precise age determination of unidentified bodies and human remains is one of the essential tasks of forensic science. The aim of this study was to assess the applicability of using the enantiomeric composition of aspartic acid racemization in root and crown dentin for dental age estimation using a Polish population sample. Coronal and root dentin from four teeth groups from the mandible were studied using gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. The results demonstrated a very high correlation between the chronological age and enantiomeric composition in both of the dentin samples. Individual linear equations of root dentin with correlation coefficients between 0.96 and 0.98 and a standard estimation error of ±2.95–4.84 years validated the application of aspartic acid racemization as a significant practical contribution to everyday forensic medical practice. Discrepancies in methodological aspects and modifications that simplify the protocol are presented.

Background: Geopolitical and climate changes form the background of the current migration crisis. It has many faces. One of them are the tragic cases of poisoning of refugees due to eating wild forest mushrooms for socioeconomic reasons in the Western and Northern European countries. The most serious food poisonings in Europe, but not only, are caused by lamellar mushrooms, the most dangerous being Amanita phalloides. Its poisonous properties can be attributed to α-amanitin, an RNA polymerase II inhibitor. Unfortunately, as it is characterized by a delayed onset of symptoms, A. phalloides poisoning has a high risk of complications. Case presentation: Our article presents a case of A. phalloides poisoning in a 28-year-old man, in which the responding medical emergency unit made errors in diagnosis and treatment. Since the correct diagnosis was made too late, the typical treatment of A. phalloides poisoning was ineffective. The patient suffered a life-threatening liver failure and needed liver transplant from a deceased donor. Conclusions: Mushroom poisoning is a particularly important problem not only in countries with a mushroom picking tradition, but also—due to the inflow of refugees—in countries where mushroom poisoning was very rare until recently. In such cases it is crucial to quickly implement the correct procedure, as this can prevent the need for liver transplant or even death. This is a particularly important consideration for the first medical professionals to contact the patient, especially in cases where the patient reports mushrooms consumption and presents alarming symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract. Such situations cannot be underestimated and ignored.

Recent years have seen an increasing number of cases of intentional poisoning with sodium nitrite. This is due, in part, to its inexpensive and readily available nature, and to the growth of social media. This paper briefly reviews the toxicity of sodium nitrite and the mechanism of death associated with its consumption and then presents a case of the fatal sodium nitrite poisoning of two sisters within a few hours of each other. It goes on to discuss both the growing problem of mental disorders, particularly among young people, and the potential diagnostic difficulties associated with sodium nitrite poisoning. It also addresses the approach to determining the manner of death, which may not be evident to the investigator; an accurate investigation is, of course, essential, as mistakes can result in the failure to identify the actual perpetrators and even lead to false accusations of guilt.

The presented paper illustrates the significance of dental documentation which played a key role in the process of identification of two unknown male cadavers by means of dental features examination. Efficient operations of the district prosecutor’s office, which in both cases provided ante mortem dental documentation of a missing person likely to be the victim, led to double positive identification. In the first presented case dental examination proved to be more effective than genetics and contributed to closure of the identification procedures. In the second case it confirmed identity equally with genetics. In addition, the paper discusses the basic rules of medical records handling and storage