title: Dental computed tomographic imaging as age estimation: morphological analysis of the third molar of a group of Turkish population.
abstract: Computed tomography (CT) is capable of providing accurate and measurable 3-dimensional images of the third molar. The aims of this study were to analyze the development of the mandibular third molar and its relation to chronological age and to create new reference data for a group of Turkish participants aged 9 to 25 years on the basis of cone-beam CT images. All data were obtained from the patients' records including medical, social, and dental anamnesis and cone-beam CT images of 752 patients. Linear regression analysis was performed to obtain regression formulas for dental age calculation with chronological age and to determine the coefficient of determination (r) for each sex. Statistical analysis showed a strong correlation between age and third-molar development for the males (r2 = 0.80) and the females (r2 = 0.78). Computed tomographic images are clinically useful for accurate and reliable estimation of dental ages of children and youth.
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of *Pediatric Dentistry, †Oral Radiology, and ‡Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Kenan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cantekin
authors.forename: Ahmet Ercan
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Sekerci
authors.forename: Suleyman Kutalmis
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Buyuk
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000366:Age Determination by Teeth / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D054893:Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; D005260:Female; D005553:Forensic Dentistry; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008964:Molar, Third / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000254:growth & development*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014074:Tooth Calcification; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult