Dental age estimation by radiographic evaluation of pulp/tooth ratio in mandibular canines and premolars

Forensic age estimation is important in clarifying issues pertaining to unknown or disputed ages of living individuals as well as reconstructive identification of the deceased. Teeth are considered as useful tools in age estimation because of their ability to resist to various physical and chemical agents. Aim of the study was to estimate dental age in adults by Cameriere's method using pulp/tooth area ratio of mandibular canines and premolars. Study group comprised digital panoramic radiographs of 250 subjects, between 18 to 75 years. Adobe Photoshop CS4 image editing software program was used to measure the tooth and pulp area in pixels. Pulp/tooth ratio was calculated and subjected to statistical analysis. Multiple regression analysis, with age as the dependent variable and P/T ratio as predictor, yielded formulae for age estimation. Among the three teeth studied, 1^st PM showed best age correlation, followed by canine and the combined teeth.