Dental age estimation through volume matching of teeth imaged by cone-beam CT.
A custom-made voxel counting software for calculating the ratio between pulp canal versus tooth volume based on cone-beam CT tooth images was developed and evaluated. The aim of this study was to attempt establishing a correlation between the chronological age of a certain individual and the pulp/tooth volume ratio of one of the teeth. Twenty-eight single rooted teeth of 19 individuals with well-known chronological age were scanned by the cone-beam CT (3D Accuitomo, J. Morita, Kyoto, Japan). Next the images were analyzed using the custom-made software. Linear regression analysis was performed. The results of the analysis showed a moderate correlation between the pulp/tooth volume ratio and biological age with a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.29. Although the present work was limited to a pilot study, the developed technique showed promising results for dental age estimation in a non-invasive manner using cone-beam CT images in living individuals.
Oral Imaging Center, School of Dentistry, Oral Pathology and Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Fan
F
Yang
Reinhilde
R
Jacobs
Guy
G
Willems
D000328:Adult; D000366:Age Determination by Teeth / Q000379:methods*; D000368:Aged; D003782:Dental Pulp / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D005553:Forensic Dentistry / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; D011861:Radiography, Dental / Q000379:methods; D036542:Tomography, Spiral Computed; D014070:Tooth / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*