Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Teeth01:15

Teeth

327
The formation of teeth, also known as odontogenesis, is a complex process that begins in utero, around the sixth week of embryonic development. There are three stages to this process: the bud stage, the cap stage, and the bell stage.
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin...
327
Actuarial Approach01:20

Actuarial Approach

63
The actuarial approach, a statistical method originally developed for life insurance risk assessment, is widely used to calculate survival rates in clinical and population studies. This method accounts for participants lost to follow-up or those who die from causes unrelated to the study, ensuring a more accurate representation of survival probabilities.
Consider the example of a high-risk surgical procedure with significant early-stage mortality. A two-year clinical study is conducted,...
63

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Custodians of Controversy: Navigating Stewardship Challenges With Non-Consensual Anatomized Human Skeletonized Individuals in South Africa.

American journal of biological anthropology·2026
Same author

Forensic taphonomy and stable isotopes: δ<sup>13</sup>C and δ<sup>15</sup>N enrichment patterns in human skin and muscle show promise for future forensic applications.

International journal of legal medicine·2026
Same author

Human cadaver decomposition islands and forensic taphonomy: gravesoil δ<sup>13</sup>C and δ<sup>15</sup>N enrichment patterns in short (30 d) and extended (900 d) postmortem intervals.

Forensic sciences research·2025
Same author

Seasonal decomposition and the effect of clothing in Cape Town, South Africa.

Journal of forensic sciences·2025
Same author

Terrain of taphonomy: how biogeographic variation affects decomposition and scavenger behaviour in two forensically significant habitats of Cape Town, South Africa.

International journal of legal medicine·2025
Same author

9,000 years of genetic continuity in southernmost Africa demonstrated at Oakhurst rockshelter.

Nature ecology & evolution·2024
Same journal

Sex estimation from morphometry of lumbar vertebrae (L4-L5): A machine learning approach.

International journal of legal medicine·2026
Same journal

Deep Learning-Based Panoramic Radiograph Retrieval from Antemortem Images for Forensic Identification.

International journal of legal medicine·2026
Same journal

Forensic age estimation using knee MRI: application of the Vieth staging system in a French population.

International journal of legal medicine·2026
Same journal

A swab and wetting agent combination investigation for enhanced touch DNA recovery: A step towards standardisation.

International journal of legal medicine·2026
Same journal

Paternal lineage diversity in the Sikh males of Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan through 27 Y-STRs.

International journal of legal medicine·2026
Same journal

Testing the accuracy of Cameriere's original and European formulae radiographic method of dental age estimation.

International journal of legal medicine·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 9, 2025

Optimized Bone Sampling Protocols for the Retrieval of Ancient DNA from Archaeological Remains
06:18

Optimized Bone Sampling Protocols for the Retrieval of Ancient DNA from Archaeological Remains

Published on: November 30, 2021

3.7K

Exploring optimal methods for age-at-death estimation using pulp/tooth area ratios: a South African study.

Daniël Kotze1, Calvin G Mole2, Vincent M Phillips3

  • 1Division of Clinical Anatomy and Biological Anthropology, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Observatory, Cape Town, 7935, South Africa.

International Journal of Legal Medicine
|November 1, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The pulp/tooth area ratio (PAR) method reliably estimates adult age at death in South African adults. Tooth section images and excluding enamel area improved accuracy for this forensic dentistry technique.

Keywords:
Age estimationCanine teethDental radiographyForensic sciencesLegal medicinePulp/tooth area ratio

More Related Videos

Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology
07:26

Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology

Published on: August 22, 2022

1.3K
Sampling and Pretreatment of Tooth Enamel Carbonate for Stable Carbon and Oxygen Isotope Analysis
07:57

Sampling and Pretreatment of Tooth Enamel Carbonate for Stable Carbon and Oxygen Isotope Analysis

Published on: August 15, 2018

13.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 9, 2025

Optimized Bone Sampling Protocols for the Retrieval of Ancient DNA from Archaeological Remains
06:18

Optimized Bone Sampling Protocols for the Retrieval of Ancient DNA from Archaeological Remains

Published on: November 30, 2021

3.7K
Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology
07:26

Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology

Published on: August 22, 2022

1.3K
Sampling and Pretreatment of Tooth Enamel Carbonate for Stable Carbon and Oxygen Isotope Analysis
07:57

Sampling and Pretreatment of Tooth Enamel Carbonate for Stable Carbon and Oxygen Isotope Analysis

Published on: August 15, 2018

13.9K

Area of Science:

  • Forensic Anthropology
  • Forensic Odontology
  • Bioarchaeology

Background:

  • Accurate age-at-death estimation is crucial for identifying unknown human remains in forensic investigations.
  • The pulp/tooth area ratio (PAR) method, based on secondary dentine apposition, is a common technique for adult dental age estimation.
  • The impact of imaging modality and enamel inclusion on PAR method accuracy requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the reliability, sex bias, and accuracy of the PAR method for age estimation in South African adults.
  • To assess the influence of different image types (radiographs, tooth sections) and enamel area inclusion on PAR method performance.
  • To identify optimal approaches for applying the PAR method to maxillary canines in forensic contexts.

Main Methods:

  • An observational, cross-sectional study analyzed 52 adult maxillary canines from a South African cadaveric sample.
  • Labiolingual and mesiodistal periapical radiographs and labiolingual stereomicroscopic tooth section images were analyzed using ImageJ to calculate PARs.
  • Linear regression models for age estimation were developed for each image type, with and without enamel area, and compared using best-subsets regression and cross-validation.

Main Results:

  • The PAR method demonstrated reliability and independence from sex, providing relatively accurate age-at-death estimates for the studied population.
  • Image type significantly affected accuracy, with tooth section images yielding the lowest error, followed by labiolingual and mesiodistal radiographs.
  • Excluding the enamel area consistently improved model performance across all tested image types.

Conclusions:

  • The PAR method is a viable and accurate technique for estimating age at death in South African adults, particularly when using tooth section images.
  • Exclusion of enamel area enhances the accuracy of PAR-based age estimation models.
  • This study provides valuable data for forensic odontology in South Africa and refines stereomicroscopic analysis for dental age estimation.