Evaluation of mandibular third molar for age estimation of Filipino population age 9 - 23 years

The study aims to determine the correlation between dental age and chronologic age in the assessment of third molar development among Filipino patients aged 9 to 23 years seen in the Paediatric Dentistry Division (PDD) of the Philippine Children's Medical Centre (PCMC) between 2012-2017.

384 digital panoramic radiographs of Filipino patients (215 males and 169 females) were gathered. Right mandibular third molars were assessed using Modified Demirjian Scoring System. Mean Absolute Error, Percentage error and Correlation is determined between dental age (DA) and chronologic age (CA) of the population.

Initial development of the third molars is observed to begin at approximately 9 years of age and root completion commences at around 19 years of age. Using Spearman Rank-Order Correlation, a strong positive correlation between CA and DA was observed among the overall population (r=0.9518). The observed correlation was stronger among females (r=0.9595) compared to males (r=0.9445). All correlation coefficients were significant (p-value<0.0001). Low percentage error among males and females is observed indicating no significant difference between the CA and DA values of the population.