Applications of Black Bone Disease in Forensic Anthropology

Black bone disease can result from using a tetracycline-based prescription drug. In life, it is a cosmetic side effect that affects approximately 4% of users and often goes unnoticed unless it presents in teeth. This raises the important question of whether the presentation of black bone disease will impact forensic anthropologists conducting an investigation. In this paper, the presence of tetracycline staining is explored to examine how this information can be used in tandem with the well-researched development of tetracycline staining in teeth to determine if an individual was using tetracycline—or one of its derivatives—and how we can appropriately use that information to corroborate a positive identification of a deceased individual.