Reliability of panoramic radiography in chronological age estimation

Area of Science:

• Forensic Odontology
• Radiology
• Anthropology

Background:

• A strong correlation exists between bone and tooth development, offering potential for age determination.
• Dental and skeletal development are key indicators for estimating an individual's age.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between dental age, skeletal age, and chronological age.
• To evaluate the accuracy of age estimation using dental panoramic radiography and third molar root formation.

Main Methods:

• 270 individuals aged 17-25 underwent panoramic and hand-wrist radiography.
• Third molars were examined for root formation by a dental surgeon after extraction.
• Age estimations were cross-validated by a radiologist.

Main Results:

• Age estimation via extracted third molars demonstrated high accuracy.
• Dental panoramic radiography showed significant accuracy for age estimation, especially in the upper right quadrant (P=0.077).

Conclusions:

• Third molar root formation is a reliable indicator for age estimation.
• Panoramic radiography provides a highly accurate, non-invasive method for age determination.