Age estimation by amino acid racemization in human teeth

Area of Science:

• Forensic odontology
• Biochemistry
• Anthropology

Background:

• Establishing personal identity is crucial for unidentified bodies, complementing cause of death investigations.
• Forensic dentistry plays a key role in body identification using methods like fingerprint, dental, and DNA analysis.
• When other identification methods fail, age estimation becomes vital for case resolution.

Observation:

• The study explored aspartic acid racemization rates in dentin (D-aspartic acid/L-aspartic acid ratio) as a novel index for age estimation.
• This method was applied to five unidentified body cases for age determination.
• The racemization technique yielded age estimations with a high degree of accuracy.

Findings:

• Age estimations derived from aspartic acid racemization in dentin were consistently accurate within a narrow margin of error (±3 years).
• The D/L Asp ratio in dentin proved to be a dependable biomarker for chronological age.
• The method demonstrated practical applicability in real-world forensic scenarios.

Implications:

• The aspartic acid racemization method offers a reliable and practical tool for forensic age estimation, particularly when other identification markers are unavailable.
• This technique can significantly aid in the identification of unidentified remains, contributing to legal and familial closure.
• Further research could validate and refine this biochemical approach for broader forensic applications.