Accuracy of four dental age estimation methods in southern Indian children.
BACKGROUND
For various forensic investigations of both living and dead individuals, the knowledge of the actual age or date of birth of the subject is of utmost importance. In recent years, age estimation has gained importance for a variety of reasons, including identifying criminal and legal responsibility, and for many other social events such as birth certificate, marriage, beginning a job, joining the army and retirement. Developing teeth are used to assess maturity and estimate age in number of disciplines; however the accuracy of different methods has not been assessed systematically. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of four dental age estimation methods.


METHODS
Digital Orthopantomographs (OPGS) of South Indian children between the ages of 6 and 16 y who visited the department of Department of Oral medicine and Radiology of GITAM Dental College, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India with similar ethnic origin were assessed. Dental age was calculated using Demirjian, Willems, Nolla, and adopted Haavikko methods and the difference between estimated dental age and chronological age were compared with paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed rank test.


RESULTS
An overestimation of the dental age was observed by using Demirjian and Nolla methods (0.1±1.63, 0.47±0.83 years in total sample respectively) and an underestimation of dental age was observed by using Willems and Haavikko methods (-0.4±1.53, -2.9±1.41 years respectively in total sample).


CONCLUSIONS
Nolla's method was more accurate in estimating dental age compared to other methods. Moreover, all the four methods were found to be reliable in estimating age of individuals of unknown chronological age in South Indian children.
Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, GITAM Dental College & Hospital , Rushikonda,Visakhapatnam. A.P. India .
Rezwana Begum
RB
Mohammed
Assistant Professor, Department of Dentistry, MGIMS, Sevagram Maharashtra , India.
Praveen
P
Sanghvi
Reader, Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Mamata Dental College & Hospital , Khammam, A.P. India .
Kiran Kumar
KK
Perumalla
Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, Vishnu Dental College & Hospital , Bhimavaram, A.P. India .
D
D
Srinivasaraju
Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, GITAM Dental College & Hospital Rushikonda Visakhapatnam , A.P. India .
Jami
J
Srinivas
Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sreesai Dental College and Research Institute , Srikakulam, A.P. India .
U Siva
US
Kalyan
Post Graduate Student, Department of General Medicine, NRI Institute of Medical Sciences , Mangalgiri, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India .
Sk Md Iftekhar
SM
Rasool
Chronological age; Dental age; Forensic odontology; South Indians