Inter-examiner variation in the assessment of age-related factors in teeth

Inter-observer variations in the registration of dental age-related characteristics have not previously been studied. Examination and registration were made by 6 dentists with varying experience in age estimation. A total of 13 age-related dental characteristics in 30 teeth extracted from adults were assessed macroscopically, by stereomicroscope and from radiographs. The measurements were analysed in a microcomputer, using the SPSS/PC+ statistical package. The results showed that, except for the score on surface roughness, significant differences were found between some of the observers for all types of measurements, when a paired t-test analysis was made. The correlation coefficients between the observers varied and were rather weak for the surface roughness score. The study revealed systematic differences among the observers as well as differences in interpreting the definitions of the scores for the different parameters. Thus age estimation using statistical methods is seen to be dependent upon the experience of the individual observer and interpretation. Care should therefore be taken not to rely too much upon the results of an odontological age estimation. The possible implications of these results for forensic work are also discussed.