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. 2024 Dec;20(4):1268-1275.
doi: 10.1007/s12024-024-00777-9. Epub 2024 Feb 9.

Study of secondary dentine deposition in central incisors as an age estimation method for adults

S Marques-Moura  1 , I M Caldas  2   3   4
Affiliations

Study of secondary dentine deposition in central incisors as an age estimation method for adults

S Marques-Moura et al. Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

This work aimed to assess the pulp/tooth area ratio's utility in the upper central incisors using orthopantomograms. A convenience sample of 801 adult patient orthopantomograms was studied. Image J® software was used to measure the pulp/tooth area ratio, and a regression model was developed. Our results conclude that the methodology assessing upper incisors' pulp/tooth area ratio using orthopantomograms can lead to age overestimation and statistically significant differences between chronological and estimated age. For those over 50, no correlation between pulp/tooth area ratio and chronological age was found, suggesting that this may be the upper limit of this technique in this population. This methodology may not be suitable for age estimation, particularly in older adults.

Keywords: Adults; Dental age estimation; Forensic age estimation; Pulp/tooth area ratio; Secondary dentine; Upper incisors.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval: Ethical approval was waived by the local Ethics Committee of the Health Sciences of FMDUP, given the retrospective nature of the study (14/2022), on the 11th of October, 2022. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests. Permissions: The Responsible for Access to Information of FMDUP issued permission to obtain orthopantomograms (04_2023) on the 30th of January 2023. The Data Protection Unit of the University of Porto gave a license to observe and analyze the orthopantomograms (A-15/2023) on the 12th of June 2023. Software: Image J® Version 1.8.0.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Manual tooth and pulp delineation, considering tooth laterality, using Image J®
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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