NCJ Number
217665
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 52 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2007 Pages: 438-441
Date Published
March 2007
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether previously proposed regression formulas for dental age estimation based on radiological two-dimensional measures of the pulp-size produced statistically sound results and replication when applied to young individuals (ages 13-24).
Abstract
The findings clearly show the inability of the regression equations of Kvaal et al. and Paewinsky et al. to provide accurate estimates of the ages of the youth in the current sample. The use of the formulas reported by Paewinsky et al. resulted in a consistent overestimation of age. The equations of Kvaal et al. led to a constant underestimation of age. It may be that linear regression equations applied to pulp size are inappropriate for specific age groups because there is no evidence that changes in the pulp cavity of teeth occur in a linear manner or that every age group needs the same time span to reach a defined amount of secondary dentin. This study used orthopantomograms (OPGs) of 44 randomly selected Austrian individuals between the ages of 13 and 24. According to the previously reported method, six teeth on each OPG were chosen for the measurements. Statistical analysis was performed in order to assess the difference between the estimated and the true chronological age. 3 tables, 1 figure, and 29 references