Age assessment in orthodontics and general dentistry

In dentistry, methods for determining age and the degree of dental and skeletal development play an important role, in particular in the assessment of developmental disorders of the dentition as well as in the planning of orthodontic interventions. Dentistry is also important in the field of forensics due to the possibility of age determination based on the dentition. In addition to anthropometric and morphologic methods, numerous biochemical, histologic, radiologic, and radiation-free imaging methods exist to determine the chronologic, but also dental and skeletal age of a person or a patient. This article aims to provide an overview of the currently available methods for age determination in dentistry, both for forensic and diagnostic-therapeutic purposes, and to critically assess their indication and value based on the available evidence.