Age estimation in three distinct east Asian population groups using southern Han Chinese dental reference dataset

Area of Science:

• Forensic Anthropology
• Odontology
• Bioarchaeology

Background:

• Dental age estimation aids in identifying disaster victims and resolving legal disputes.
• A reference dataset (RDS) for dental development was established using 2306 southern Han Chinese individuals.
• This study evaluated the applicability of this RDS on other East Asian populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the accuracy of a southern Han Chinese dental maturation reference dataset when applied to distinct East Asian populations.
• To determine the effectiveness of various dental age calculation methods across different ethnic groups.

Main Methods:

• 953 dental panoramic radiographs from Filipino, Thai, and Japanese subjects (ages 2-24) were analyzed.
• Dental development was staged using the Anglo-Canadian classification system.
• Six dental age calculation methods were employed, comparing dental age (DA) to chronological age (CA) using statistical tests and Bland & Altman plots.

Main Results:

• Dental age estimation was accurate for Japanese subjects and partially accurate for Filipino subjects using specific methods (n-tds, 1/sd-tds, 1/se-tds).
• All tested methods consistently overestimated the dental age of Thai females.
• The southern Han Chinese RDS showed highest accuracy for Japanese, followed by Thai males.

Conclusions:

• The southern Han Chinese dental reference dataset demonstrates variable applicability across East Asian populations.
• Accuracy is highest for Japanese individuals, moderate for Thai males, and significantly limited for Filipinos and Thai females.
• Further research may be needed to refine dental age estimation methods for diverse populations.