Dental age assessment: The applicability of Demirjian method in southwestern of eastern Anatolia region Turkish children

Development of dental charts according to tooth development and eruption for Turkish children and young adults

Purpose

In this study, we aimed to develop dental charts for Turkish children and young adults of both genders within the age group of 4.5-22.5 years according to tooth mineralization and eruption in a format similar to that proposed by AlQahtani et al.

Materials and Methods

In total, 753 digital panoramic radiographs from 350 males and 403 females were assessed. The permanent teeth were evaluated according to the classification system described by Demirjian et al. The eruption stage was assessed with Bengston's system, which was modified by AlQahtani et al at four points.

Results

Teeth generally developed earlier in females than in males. This was particularly notable in the age group of 5-14 years. However, this difference was usually visible in only one stage, not in all teeth. It has been determined that the mixed dentition period ended with the shedding of the second deciduous molars in both genders.

Conclusion

The dental charts presented here included information that could be beneficial to dental clinicians in making appropriate diagnosis and planning orthodontic and surgical procedures. These charts also provided datasets for preliminary dental age estimation in Turkish children and young adults.

The chronology of second molar development in Brazilians and its application to forensic age estimation

Purpose

This study investigated the possible correlation between the mineralization of the second molars and the chronological age of a sample population of the state of Paraiba, Brazil.

Materials and Methods

One thousand eight hundred fifty-four digitized panoramic images using a scanner of a private dental radiology service were obtained in six months. Of these, 457 were selected from patients aged 4.6 to 16 years who met certain criteria. The images were assessed twice by a radiologist with 5 years experience. A minimum interval of 30 days between the evaluations of the same patient was established. To analyze the relationship between chronological age, calcification level proposed by Demirjian et al in 1973, gender, and tooth, a multiple linear regression model was adjusted, taking age as the response variable (p<0.05).

Results

The gender and calcification level were significantly correlated with the age of the patients (p<0.05). There was a significant difference between the average age of the patients' upper teeth compared to the lower ones in both genders (p<0.05). The dental development occurred earlier in female individuals than in male ones, and there was no significant difference between the right and left second permanent molars.

Conclusion

It was observed that ethnic variables are related to certain parameters of age and sex identification in the Brazilian population, providing important information for forensic evaluations.