Myth #10: Breath Test — Dentures Cannot Cause A False High Reading
Although many scientists contend that dentures do not trap alcohol that can contribute to a false high reading, a leading study on this remains controversial.
Data was excluded from one female subject (#23) who had particularly poor fitting dentures and was unable to avoid swallowing during the dosing period.
Patrick Harding, et. al., The Effect of Dentures and Denture Adhesives on Mouth Alcohol Retention, 37 Journal of Forensic Science 999, 1002 (July 1992).
Defending against DUI / DWIUnder these stringent experimental conditions, positive apparent BrACs occurring more than 15 min after alcohol expectoration were observed in 9 of the 24 subjects. Two subjects showed trace BrACs beyond 20 min. One of the individuals in another study had a breath sample of 70ug/100mL (A .15) and a blood sample showed .05. Dental examination of the defendant showed that he had extensive work carried out, including three bridges. A possible explanation, therefore, for these anomalous results is that the excessive breath-alcohol concentrations might be due to mouth alcohol retained in the bridges or periodontal spaces.... Effective DUI / DWI DefenseUnless the law is concerned with convicting the many, while ignoring the few, this case demonstrates the desirability of offering all defendants the chance to have their breath-alcohol concentrations checked by analysis of blood or urine. Next article: Index: |
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