Root dentine transparency: Age determination of human teeth using computerized densitometric analysis

Abstract

Root dentine transparency (RDT) was used to estimate the ages of human subjects from 152 intact teeth. Teeth were from 134 subjects, both historical and recent, of known age and sex. The aims of this work are 1) to compare two methods of using RDT to estimate age; 2) to test the applicability of the regression formulae for estimating age obtained from a recent sample on an historical sample; and 3) to estimate the suitability of RDT to determine age at death of 100-year-old skeletons. RDT was measured by two techniques: 1) computerized densitometric analysis and 2) vernier caliper. Age estimations based on computerized densitometric analysis were no more accurate than were those determined by caliper measurement; both give a predictive success of +/- 5 years in about 45-48% of cases for premolars. The television-based digitization system has some disadvantages: It is expensive, not portable, and requires some training to use. However, it furnishes a more standardized method, a rapid graphic illustration of the results, and an immediate storage of statistical information for future use.

A test of the Lamendin method of age estimation in South African canines

“…This shows that these features can be used to estimate age, but that the results would not be highly accurate. Root transparency did not obtain the highest results as was found in previous works [5,[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] while periodontosis, surprisingly, were found to correlated more with age than root transparency. Hillson [20] also reported that there are large clinical studies that showed a clear relationship between periodontosis and age, and that dental hygiene and care play a big role in the development of periodontal disease.…”

“…As teeth are the most durable of all human remains, much of the efforts have focused on the human dentition, and of particular interest here is the study published in 1992 by Lamendin et al [1]. Dental attrition [2], secondary dentin deposition [3][4][5], and root transparency [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] have been among the many characteristics examined.…”

“…The Gustafson method or modifications thereof has since been tested and modified by a number of researchers in modern and historic populations [1,8,12,15,. Bang and Ramm [8] simplified Gustafson's method and focused on root transparency only.…”

“…Root transparency as an age indicator has since been the focus of various studies [9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. Most research using Gustafson or revised methods reported a standard error ranging from 7.9 to 11.46 years.…”

Drusini's and Takei's Methods for Age Estimation in Korean Adults

“…치아는 인체 조직 중 가장 오래 보존되고 [10], 골조직과는 달리 구강 내에서 직접적인 관찰이 가능하며 [11], 증령에 따른 변화가 비교적 단계적이어서 개인차가 가장 적게 나타나는 것 으로 알려져 있기 때문에 연령 추정에 유용하다 [3]. 치아를 연령 추정에 이용하는 경우에는 Gustafson 방법 [12], 치근부 상아질 투명도(dentine transparency) [13,14] …”