1Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, Puducherry
2Assistant Professor, Biostatistics, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, Puducherry
Online published on 11 October, 2012.
The estimation of age of children and adolescents has medico legal significance particularly in India. Tooth enables accurate estimate of the age in the young as tooth formation has less variability. Since several known varying geographical factors influence development of the tooth, a universally applicable, standard eruption time for the permanent teeth poses difficulty in estimation of age. This resulted in a need for a regional study and this study was undertaken. The subjects of the study were 300 children and adolescents (200 males and 100 females) studying in a school in Madurai (South India) and belonging to middle and lower socio-economic groups. The age of subjects ranged from six to sixteen years.
Sequence of eruption of the maxillary teeth in the males were: first molars, lateral incisors, central incisors, first premolars, second premolars, canines and second molars, while the mandibular teeth slightly differed, first molars, central incisors, lateral incisors, first premolars, second premolars, canines and second molars. Sequence of eruption of the maxillary teeth in the females were, first molars, central incisors, lateral incisors, first premolars, second premolars, canines and second molars, while the mandibular teeth slightly differed, with first molars, central incisors, lateral incisors, second premolars, first premolars, canines and second molars. Sequence of eruption in both the males and females were first molars, central incisors, lateral incisors, first premolars, second premolars, canines and second molars. In conclusion, the mandibular teeth erupted earlier than the maxillary teeth excluding the slightly earlier eruption of the maxillary lateral incisors, premolars and canines in the males and the maxillary lateral incisors, first premolars and canines in the females. When both jaws compared in both the sexes, all the teeth erupted earlier in the females excluding the slightly earlier eruption of the canines in the males.
Age, Children, Eruption, Mandibular, Maxillary, Permanent teeth
