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Age estimation in children by measurement of open apices in teeth: an Indian formula
Balwant Rai1, J Kaur, Mariano Cingolani
1Ex-Lecture PDM Dental College, Bahadurgarh, India. raibalwant29@rediffmail.com
Insights
This study developed a new age estimation formula for Indian children using dental development. The formula accurately predicts age based on tooth development and country region, outperforming European standards.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Anthropology
- Pediatric Dentistry
Background:
- Accurate age estimation is crucial in forensic and legal contexts.
- Existing dental age estimation formulas may not be universally applicable across diverse populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the applicability of Cameriere's European formula for age estimation in Indian children.
- To develop and validate a specific formula for estimating the chronological age of Indian children.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of orthopantomographs from 480 Indian children aged 3-15 years.
- Development of a linear regression model incorporating dental morphological variables, country region, and number of teeth with complete root development.
- Exclusion of gender and second premolar variables due to insignificant contribution to the model.
Main Results:
- The developed formula, incorporating country region (C), number of teeth with complete root development (N0), and sum of normalized open apices (s), explained 89.7% of the age variability (R² = 0.897).
- The formula demonstrated high accuracy with a median residual of -0.063 years and an interquartile range of 1.10 years.
- Cameriere's European formula was found to be less suitable for the Indian sample.
Conclusions:
- A specific dental age estimation formula has been developed and validated for Indian children.
- The new formula offers improved accuracy for Indian pediatric populations compared to existing European standards.
- This research contributes to more precise forensic age assessment in India.
Abstract:
The aim of this paper is twofold: first, to evaluate an Indian sample by Cameriere's European formula; and second, if this formula turns out to be unsuitable, to study a specific formula for Indian children. Orthopantomographs taken from 480 Indian children (227 girls and 253 boys) aged between 3 and 15 years were analyzed. Following the pilot study, subjects' age was modeled as a function of gender (g), region of country (C), and morphological variables (predictors: x (5), the distance between the inner sides of the open apex of the second premolar divided by the tooth length; s=x1+x2+x3+x4+x5+x6+x7, sum of normalized open apices; N (0,) the number of teeth with root development complete. Results showed that all these variables except gender and second premolar contributed significantly to the fit so that all were included in the regression model, yielding the following linear regression formula: Age=9.402-0.879C+0.663 N0-0.711s-0.106s N0 where C is a dummy variable equal to 0 for the center or north of India and 1 for the south. The above equation, with the variables considered, explained 89.7% (R (2) = 0.897) of total deviance. The median of the residuals (observed age minus predicted age) was -0.063 years, with an interquartile range of 1.10 years.
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