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This study evaluated the accuracy of Cameriere's method based on normalized measurement of open apices of developing permanent teeth (xi) and a number of teeth with closed apices (N0) in a sample of 121 cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of children (60 males and 61 females), aged between 5 and 13 years from Krakow, Poland. Intra-class correlation coefficient on randomly selected 30 CBCT scans showed good to exceptional intra-observer, and inter-observer agreement of normalized open apices, while Kappa score showed an absolute agreement of the number of teeth with complete maturation. Dental age overestimated by 0.17 years (p = 0.120) and 0.18 years (p = 0.149) in males and females, respectively. The mean absolute errors between dental and chronological age of MAE between dental and chronological age of the complete sample were 0.73 years and 0.77 years in males and females, respectively. In conclusion, the present results support usage of Cameriere's method for age estimation in Polish children in cases where CBCT scans are available and previously taken for a specific clinical indication and taking into account the more demanding procedure of measuring variables in a non-orthogonal projection of teeth compared to a panoramic image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Better understanding of dental age assessment may help in cases of age estimation in Forensic Clinics. The first aim was to provide essential information on method reliability for upcoming studies using dental age assessment by second molar index (I2M), and third molar index (I3M) for age estimation on legal ages of 12 - 14 years. The second aim was to document forensic method outcomes of the Demirjian method which has already been used in forensic clinic. Material and methods: Two samples were used for this purpose: for I2M, 633 orthopantomographs (270 females/363 males), the age range from 7 to 17 years and for I3M, 471 orthopantomographs (253 females/218 males), the age range from 10 to 23 years, from the database population of Lisbon North University Hospital Center, approved by the Ethic Committee. Results: The I3M cut-off point (1.133) for 12-year-olds obtained better results than the cut-off point stated by the I2M (0.135). Besides, I2M cut-off point (0.001) for 14- year-olds showed better results when compared with the cut-off point (0.705) established by the I3M. Both methods are reliable for the legal age thresholds of 12 and 14 years. However, using I2M and I3M allows us to vary the cut-off value to privilege sensitivities or specificity, depending on which is more appropriate to the intended application. Conclusions: The accuracy (88.94%) of I3M obtained better results for the 12-year-old cut-off point (1.133) and the accuracy (90.21%) of the I2M performed better for the 14-year-old cut-off point (0.001). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to test the accuracy of the third molar maturity index ( I 3 M ) cut-off value (0.08) to distinguish between individuals above and below the adult age of legal responsibility (18 years) in a Russian population. A sample of 571 digital panoramic radiographs of healthy Russian minors and young adults (363 females and 208 males), aged between 14 and 24 years, was evaluated. The lower left third molars were analyzed by applying the cut-off value of 0.08 determined by Cameriere et al. (2008). Lin's concordance correlation coefficient ( ρ c ) and Cohen's kappa coefficient (κ) showed that repeatability and reproducibility are high for both intra- and interobserver errors. The I 3 M value decreased with age in both sexes. Age distribution gradually decreases as I 3 M increases in both girls and boys. In the male group, molar maturity stages 0-0.04, 0.04-0.08, 0.08-0.3, 0.3-0.5, and 0.9-1.4 were reached slightly earlier than in the female group. The results demonstrated that sensitivity is 0.96 in boys and 0.93 in girls; associated specificity values were both 0.98. The cut-off value of I 3 M is statistically robust and thus valid for forensic application in a Russian population to determine whether or not a subject has reached 18 years of age. Finally, we compared our results with those of other studies in which the same I 3 M cut-off value was tested on different populations. The method is novel as it is reliable and easily reproducible, thus ensuring a universal way of comparing the results obtained (based on a cut-off value) among many populations, in order to develop an ever-increasing database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of age estimation in the forensic field is inherent to the process of establishing the biological profile of children, sub-adults and adults. The established profile might be useful for the identification of deceased victims or living individuals when it comes to age of legal interest. In parallel, age estimation is also investigated for clinical purposes, especially for the diagnosis of dental and bone maturation. Several studies were developed to provide accurate age estimation methods based on skeletal and dental development. This study aimed to apply and compare Cameriere's and Willems' methods for dental age estimation in a Brazilian sample. Two examiners performed image analysis and method application in 180 panoramic radiographs of Brazilian children aged 6-14 years old. The ages estimated with both methods revealed a good correlation with the chronological ages of Brazilian boys and girls. Cameriere's method showed a slight underestimation of 0.05 years for girls and 0.03 for boys. Willems' me thod, on the othe r hand, showed an overestimation of -0.47 years for girls and -0.39 for boys. Better age estimates were obtained combining the outcomes of both methods. In practice, Cameriere's and Willems' methods reached reliable outcomes and could be applied for dental age estimation purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dental age (DA) estimation is an extensively investigated resource used by forensic science. This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of the Measurement of Open Apices for DA estimation in north east Brazilians. A total of 429 orthopantomographs of individuals aged 5 to 14.99 years were used. The sample was distributed according to the age groups 5-6.99, 7-8.99, 9-10.99, 11-12.99 and 13-14.99 years, and the data were analyzed descriptively and by linear regression (a= 5%). The majority of the radiographs were from females (n = 241; 56.2%), with an overall mean age of 12 years (± 2.12). A significant difference was obser ved between DA and chronological age (CA) in the total sample and specifically in females and males. The method underestimated CA by 0.31 year (total sample) and by 0.3 and 0.32 year in females and males, respectively. In contrast, the method overestimated CA in the groups 5-6.99 and 7-8.99 years, with a mean difference (MD) of 0.48 year (p = 0.007) and 0.17 year (p = 0.182), respectively. In the other groups, DA was predicted to be below CA, with a significant difference in the group 13-14.99 (0.75 year). Based on the regression analysis, a correction factor was proposed from the original formula for this population, thereby reaching a predictive power of approximately 80%. To conclude, this method is applicable to the study population aged 5 to 13 years as the estimates obtained did not exceed the error limit of ±1 year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of frontal sinuses for personal identification is a considered approach in the forensic field. In Yoshino's system, the frontal sinus patterns of a given person were formulated as a code number (codY) obtained by arranging the class numbers in each classification item. The aim of this work was to use a new code number (codC) with eight digits that includes other two continuous variables obtained as ratios SOR1 (left frontal sinus area/left orbit area) and SOR2 (right frontal sinus area/right orbit area), comparing the results with that of Yoshino. Digital radiographic images of the skulls of 150 Chinese people were analyzed. Spearman's partial correlation coefficients were evaluated between variables characterizing frontal sinus patterns. We used a maximum‐weight dependence tree for statistical analysis. Results demonstrated that codC significantly reduced the probability of having the same personal code number compared with codY. Our scientific approach results valid for personal identification purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This retrospective study aims to test the third molar maturity index (I3M) cut-off value of 0.08 for 18 years old in Dominican Republic population. Orthopantomograms of 513 subjects (284 females and 229 males) were evaluated, intra- and interobserver agreement, ICC (intra-class correlation coefficient) values were 0.88% (95 % CI 0.86% to 0.91%), and 0.93% (95% CI 0.90% to 0.96%), for the intra- and inter-observer reliability, respectively. Accuracy in females was 0.96 (95% CI: 0.93-0.97); the sensitivity was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.96-0.99) and specificity was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.86-0.95). In males, the accuracy was 0.96 (95% CI: 0.93-0.98); the sensitivity was 0.94 (95% CI: 0.88-0.97) and specificity was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.95-0.99). The PPV (Positive Predictive Value) was 0.93 for females and 0.99 for males. The results of this study show that I3M can be used for discriminating adults from minors in Dominican Republic subjects around the legal age of 18 years old. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]