title: Age estimation based on pulp cavity to tooth volume ratio using postmortem computed tomography images.
abstract: Pulp cavity size is known to decrease with age and can therefore serve as an indicator for age estimation. Here, we evaluated whether reconstructed images of multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) acquired before forensic autopsy are useful for estimating age at death. Images of 136 mandibular first premolars obtained from bodies of known age at death were analyzed, and the volume of the regions corresponding to pulp cavity and that of the whole tooth were determined using a voxel counting function. The pulp cavity was clearly distinguishable from dental hard tissue on the reconstructed images when using a cutoff value of 1400 Hounsfield units. Regression analysis adjusted for sex showed that estimated age correlated significantly with the pulp cavity to tooth volume ratio (r = 0.76). MDCT is gaining more widespread use in forensic medicine, and analyzing dental images to obtain parameters for age prediction is a practical approach for postmortem identification.
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan.
authors.forename: Ayaka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sakuma
authors.forename: Hisako
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saitoh
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Yohsuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Makino
authors.forename: Go
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Inokuchi
authors.forename: Mutsumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yajima
authors.forename: Hirotaro
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iwase
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000366:Age Determination by Teeth / Q000379:methods*; D000368:Aged; D001641:Bicuspid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003786:Dental Pulp Cavity / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D005553:Forensic Dentistry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061330:Multidetector Computed Tomography; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D012372:ROC Curve; D012044:Regression Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: dental pulp; forensic dentistry; forensic science; identification; multidetector-row computed tomography; postmortem examination