ABSTRACT
Objectives: This article aims to unfold the differences of gingival postmortem changes in a normal environment compared to a water environment, be it salt water and fresh water. Methods: A literature review was done through a synthesis of journals from three databases, which are Google Scholar, Pubmed, and Science Direct. Result: The findings revealed that compared to normal conditions, decomposition in water is slower due to the temperature and anaerobic environment. Changes in the gingival tissues mainly occur histologically (both in the epithelial and connective tissues) in the shape of progressive destruction in correlation with time. Conclusion: For forensic dentists, knowledge of postmortem changes that occur in the gingival tissues in a water environment is important for considering Postmortem Interval (PMI) that could potentially aid in forensic investigations.
