Cemental annulation: An approach to age estimation in transverse and longitudinal sections using three different...

Area of Science:

• Forensic Odontology
• Dental Histology
• Human Identification

Background:

• Age estimation is crucial for personal identification.
• Teeth are durable structures valuable for age determination.
• Tooth cemental annulation is a promising histological parameter for age estimation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of tooth cemental annulation for age estimation.
• To compare different microscopy techniques for analyzing cemental lines.
• To determine the most reliable method for accurate age prediction from dental structures.

Main Methods:

• 100 extracted teeth were sectioned into 100 μm slices.
• Sections were examined using light, polarized, and phase-contrast microscopy.
• Cemental lines in longitudinal and transverse sections were counted and correlated with known ages.

Main Results:

• Phase-contrast microscopy demonstrated a strong positive correlation between estimated and actual age.
• Higher significance (P < 0.001) was observed with phase-contrast microscopy, especially in longitudinal sections.
• This method proved more reliable than other microscopic techniques for age estimation.

Conclusions:

• Cemental annulation analysis, particularly with phase-contrast microscopy, enhances age estimation accuracy.
• This technique is valuable for forensic identification, even with degraded skeletal remains.
• Tooth cemental annulation provides a reliable histological method for determining age.