Computerized measurements of the lower third molar related to chronologic age in young adults

Chronologic age is an utmost important birth record in many industrialized Western countries. When the date of birth is unknown, there is a demand for establishing the chronologic age. Dental methods for age estimations are considered more reliable than most other methods by the majority of researchers and are among the most commonly used means to determine age. Traditionally, these methods have most often been based on subjectively estimated, radiographic stages of tooth development. In the present study metric measurements of the length of the forming root have been used and are compared with one standard method. The formed part of the root of the lower third molar as seen in a panoramic radiograph was digitized. Data were directly stored in a computer for subsequent statistical analysis. The technique of collecting data with the aid of a computer had some statistical advantages. The precision of age estimations was, however, slightly inferior to the standard method.