Comparison of the validity of two dental age estimation methods: A study on South Indian population

BACKGROUND: Forensic odontologists are often confronted with the problem of estimating age for the identification of unknown bodies or skeletal remains of accidents, crimes and disaster victims. Teeth have the benefit of being preserved long after other tissues have disintegrated and present the only means for age estimation. Different techniques have been published for dental age estimation with variable accuracy, precision and reliability. The search for optimal method by forensic odontologists has continued over the years until the present day. AIM: The present study was aimed at evaluating and comparing the accuracy of age estimation using translucent dentin and cemental annulations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 150 freshly extracted teeth were obtained and longitudinal ground sections were prepared. The length of the translucent dentin was measured and cemental annulations were counted in each section and the age was calculated separately for both the methods. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that both the methods are reliable in the middle age groups; whereas the large error obtained in the extreme age groups indicate that translucent dentin method should be preferred in older age group and cemental annulations method in the younger age group before the formation of translucent dentin.