Applicability of Cameriere European formula for age estimation of 10–15 years legal threshold in South Indian population

AIM: The aim of the present study is to assess the relationship between chronological age (CA) and the measurement of the open apices in teeth and also assess the accuracy of Cameriere methods on dental age (DA) estimation in the South Indian population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A sample of 200 orthopantomographs of children aged between 10 and 15 years were collected. The seven left permanent mandibular teeth were evaluated with Cameriere method. RESULTS: Regression analysis was carried out which derived the following linear regression formula: Age = 14.117 − 0.01 g − 1.732W3 + 0.016N(0) − 0.289 × 5 − 0.099.s. N(0.) The equation explained 88.3% (R(2) = 0.883) of the total deviance. The accuracy of the European formula and South Indian formula was determined by the difference between the estimated DA and CA. Cameriere formula produced 32% and 18% of absolute residuals falls within the range of ± 1 and ± 0.5 years, whereas the new regression formula produced 72% and 35% within range of ± 1 and ± 0.5 years. CONCLUSION: This further highlight the importance of population-specific formula keeping in mind about variation in dental maturation across different regions.