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. 2021 Feb 5;7(2):e06164.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06164. eCollection 2021 Feb.

Tooth shade variation in Indian population: An objective guide to age estimation

N Srikant  1 , Annapurna S Intern  2 , G Vaishnavi  2 , Shweta Yellapurkar  3 , Nidhin Philip Jose  4 , Vinod Jathanna  5 , Dilip G Naik  6
Affiliations

Tooth shade variation in Indian population: An objective guide to age estimation

N Srikant et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

Introduction: The color of the teeth is affected by chronological age due to the variations of the hard and soft tissue structure of the teeth. There are very few studies have assessed the shade of the Enamel and correlated it with the age changes. Hence the study aimed to assess the enamel shade with the aging in the individual.

Materials and methods: The central incisors of 388 individuals (5-78 years) were assessed for tooth color using a VITA 3D master shade guide and the Hue, Value and Chroma were noted. Mean grey values of the teeth were obtained by image manipulation using Image J software and normalized using the values obtained from the 18% contrast grey card. Chi square tests and linear regression analysis is used to find associations with age and tooth shade variations.Results: The teeth had higher score of Hue, Value and Chroma in older individuals. The tooth shade tended to shift towards redder hue with older age group. Simple linear regression analysis showed a significant correlation of age with normalized grey value in association with the shade parameters. (r = 0.717, SEE = 12.322 years)Conclusion: Tooth color changes with age and the mean age in grey values and shade guides can be a useful tool for age estimation.

Keywords: Age estimation; Enamel shade; Forensic odontology; Tooth colour; VITA 3D master shade guide.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The custom Jig used for standardization of the Photograph. B: Photograph of the labial surface of the central incisor with the VITA shade and the 18% grey shade for standardization.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flow chart of derivation of the normalized Mean grey value.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Area graph showing the proportion of distribution of different scores of Value over different age groups.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Area graph showing the proportion of distribution of different scores of Hue over different age groups.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Area graph showing the proportion of distribution of different scores of chroma over different age groups.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Scatter plot of the residuals of the equation shows a positive correlation with age.
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