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. 2023 Dec 13;11(12):288.
doi: 10.3390/dj11120288.

Accuracy of Age Estimation Using Three Dental Age Estimation Methods in a Young, Large, and Multiethnic Patient Sample

Claire Willmann  1   2 , Gabriel Fernandez De Grado  1   2   3 , Céline Kolb  1   2 , Jean-Sébastien Raul  4 , Anne-Marie Musset  1   2   3 , Catherine-Isabelle Gros  1   2   3 , Damien Offner  1   2   3
Affiliations

Accuracy of Age Estimation Using Three Dental Age Estimation Methods in a Young, Large, and Multiethnic Patient Sample

Claire Willmann et al. Dent J (Basel). .

Abstract

European countries have become host countries for migrants and unaccompanied minors. However, many migrants arrive without identity documents. Many methods exist to estimate age; among them, several methods using dental age have been proposed. Our objective was to evaluate the accuracy of biological age determination in a multiethnic sample using dental age estimated using three methods: Nolla, Demirjian, and the London Atlas. Orthopantomograms collected for 324 patients of various ethnicities aged from 4 to 20 years old were included. Then, for each orthopantomogram, a blind trained examiner used the three methods of age estimation. For each method, the estimated mean age was greater than the real mean age (p < 0.0001). The accuracy after 18 years old with a 1-year margin was under 50%. Demirjian's method gave a less accurate estimated age than Nolla's method (p < 0.0001) or the London Atlas (p < 0.001). The most accurate methods were those of Nolla and the London Atlas, with average absolute deviations of 1.3 and 1.2 years, respectively. Demirjian's method was much less accurate, with a deviation of around 2 years. The evaluated methods are unable to provide reliable information to determine if an individual is a minor.

Keywords: age estimation; dental age; forensic odontology; orthopantomogram.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Means of errors for each method and each age category.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scatter plots of estimations for each individual for each method by age.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scatter plots of estimations for each individual for each method by age.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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