Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, A. Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences, Nitte University, Mangalore
Online published on 19 January, 2015.
Age estimation forms an integral part of the identification of missing people, be it among the living or the dead. The lack of accurate clinical methods of age estimation based on tooth eruption is an extensively documented fact.
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the accuracy of 1 such method, Kusri's Triangle method of dental age estimation in children and to adapt the scoring system if proven inaccurate.
50 children between the age group of 6–14 years were selected for the assessment of permanent tooth emergence respectively. Newer methods of age estimation (Triangle and Regression equations) were derived for use in an Indian population.
The data was analyzed using Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) Curve and Intra Class Correlation Coefficient (ICCC). The results conducted in a validation sample of 30 children suggested greater accuracy using the new methods (0.897, 0.912 and 0.928) as compared to Kusri's Triangle method (0.761).
Such clinical methods of age estimation will be of paramount importance in a rural setup where the facility of panoramic radiography is unavailable.
Age Estimation, Clinical Method, Eruption, Permanent Teeth, Regression Equations
