Age estimation by Drusini's method and Jeon's method in Indian population – A comparative assessment

CONTEXT: There has been extensive focus on forensic odontology with an increase in the research for age estimation procedures. Teeth are biological markers for human age estimation. In adults, age estimation with a tooth has to be done by the analysis of cementum annulations, root transparency and determination of aspartic acid racemization. Various age estimation methods are known in literature; however, the reliability and relevance of these methods for the Indian population have seldom been studied. AIM: To assess and compare age estimation by Drusini's method and Jeon's method and correlate chronological age and age estimation by both the methods in Indian Adults. OBJECTIVE: Comparative assessment of Drusini's method and Jeon's method for age estimation within Indian adults. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Two hundred intraoral periapical radiovisuographs of the patients aged 20–69 years with optimum diagnostic quality radiographic images of permanent mandibular first molars were selected from the digital archive of the Department of Oral Medicine Diagnosis and Radiology from the dental college. Measurements were done using Drusini's and Jeon's methods and compared with the chronological age. A P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Analysis of variance followed by Tukey's Post hoc test, t-test. RESULTS: Mean chronological age, estimated using Jeon's method and estimated by Drusini's method, was 30.77 ± 9.32, 29.790 ± 7.729 and 27.885 ± 8.190, respectively. This difference was statistically highly significant, whereas Jeon's method showed a strong positive correlation between chronological age and age. CONCLUSIONS: The study concludes that Jeon's method is more accurate than Drusini's in the Indian population.