Comparing third molar root development staging in panoramic radiography, extracted teeth, and cone beam computed tomography

Abstract

This study aimed at performing and comparing third molar development staging in extracted teeth (EX), in panoramic radiographs (PAN) and in cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Extracted third molars (n=158, 95 maxillary, 63 mandibular) from 102 patients (36 males, 66 females) having at least one preoperative PAN and one CBCT volume were studied. Third molar development staging was performed in PAN, EX and in CBCT using Gleiser et al. (1955) technique modified by Köhler et al (1994). A polytomous logistic regression model was used to compare the staging performed EX and in CBCT with the gold standard staging in PAN. In all the pair-wise comparisons between staging modalities 100 third molars (63.3%) were equally staged. The other 58 third molars (36.7%) were staged with a maximum difference of one stage. No statistically significant differences between the three staging modalities were detected (p=0.26). The comparison between EX and PAN staging revealed higher similarity (p=0.98 in stages 5-10) than the comparison between CBCT and PAN staging (p=0.81 in stages 5, 7 and 9, and 0.80 in stages 6, 8 and 10). The studied third molar staging technique originally designed in PAN can be applied for third molar staging EX and in CBCT.

Evidence-based mapping of third molar techniques for age estimation applied to Brazilian adolescents – a systematic review

“…When it comes to third molar dental age estimation, the target sample is generally found within the interval between 16 and 23 yearsa category of individuals in which third molars are the only teeth developing (Franco et al, 2013). In particular, at the age of 16, it is expected at least initial root formation of third molars (Franco et al, 2020a). In the present systematic review, only 40% of the eligible studies sampled individuals exclusively aged within or close to the age category of adolescents.…”

“…These teeth are known for their variability among different persons, especially regarding development timing (Johan et al, 2012). Assessing third molar development may be accomplished by means of bi-dimensional and threedimensional imaging analysis, and also ex vivo from skeletal remains (Franco et al, 2020a).…”

The Subadult Virtual Anthropology Database (SVAD): An Accessible Repository of Contemporary Subadult Reference Data

“…Stacks of two-dimensional images, such as CT scans and MRIs, have the advantages of radiography (i.e., the ability to see beyond the external surfaces), but the additional benefit of alleviating orientation, position ambiguity, magnification, and superimposition issues that are inherent to two-dimensional radiograph imaging. The possibility for visualizing internal structures and high image resolution have proven time and again that the rendered image series [21][22][23][24][25] and the specific derivatives, such as segmented bone surfaces and the skeletal and dental variables collected directly from the image series or the virtual reconstructions, are reliable and accurate [26][27][28][29][30][31].…”

Avaliação radiográfica do desenvolvimento de terceiros molares considerando os limites etários de interesse legal de 14, 16 e 18 anos em uma população russa

“…Recentemente, estudos visam testar a aplicabilidade de técnicas já disponíveis comparando idades estimada e cronológica (DEITOS et al, 2015;FRANCO et al, 2013;JAYARAMAN et al, 2016). Outros estudos, com desenho mais fundamental, dedicam-se a estudar o processo de classificação do desenvolvimento dental em estágios (FRANCO et al, 2020). O presente estudo testou a aplicabilidade da técnica de GHK para a alocação de indivíduos russos em idade superior ou inferior aos limites etários de interesse legal, mas especificamente as idades de 14, 16 e 18 anos.…”

“…Do ponto de vista forense, os terceiros molares são úteis para indicar se um indivíduo tem idade acima ou abaixo das idades de interesse legal, como consentimento sexual (14 ou 16 anos) e maioridade legal (18 anos na maioria dos países (FRANKLIN et al, 2015). Apesar da alegada aplicabilidade dos terceiros molares na estimativa da idade dental, a eficácia pode depender diretamente da técnica utilizada na prática (FRANCO et al, 2020).…”