NCJ Number
193729
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 47 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2002 Pages: 107-116
Date Published
2002
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This research examined the accuracy of Lamendin et al.’s adult dental aging technique.
Abstract
Lamendin et al. utilized two factors to determine the age at death for adults: translucency of the tooth root and periodontal regression. The sample consisted of 306 teeth extracted from 208 people all thought to have French ancestry. The sample ranged from 22 to 90 years and consisted of 135 males and 73 females, of which 198 were white and 10 were Black. Periodontosis, or gingival regression, is caused by the degeneration of soft tissue surrounding the tooth. Transparency of the tooth root is a physiologic feature that does not appear before age 20. The final measurement was the root height. From multiple regression analysis, Lamendin established the following equation to determine the age at death from dental features: A= (0.18 X P) + (0.42 X T) + 25.53, where A = age in years, P = the periodontosis measurement X 100/root height, and T = Transparency height X 100/root height. This study applied the Lamendin method to the Terry Collection. This skeletal collection is housed at the National Museum of Natural History. The skeletons were collected between 1900 and 1965 and contain 1600 disarticulated people of known sex, ancestry, age at death and cause of death. The sample consisted of 400 teeth from 94 Black females, 72 white females, 98 Black males, and 95 white males, ranging from 25 to 99 in age. Lamendin’s method was applied to this sample to test its applicability to a population of non-French origin. The results showed that Lamendin’s method estimated age fairly accurately yielding a mean error of 8.2 years, standard deviation of 6.9 years, and standard error of the mean 0.34 years. In addition, when ancestry and sex were taken in account, the mean errors were reduced for each group (Black females, white females, Black males, and white males). 7 Tables, 17 references