Methods of dental age estimation will be defined with their strength and limitations. In this chapter, the stages of tooth formation/maturation, the chronology of tooth eruption and its relationship to age will be explained in detail. Visual, radiographic, chemical and histological techniques can be used for dental age estimation. ĭental maturity is one of the most reliable indicators of chronological age estimation method used for criminal, forensic and anthropologic purposes. Even bone may disintegrate, but teeth can be preserved for a long time and thus can be used reliably for identification in disaster situations. Teeth have highly mineralized structure, which makes them resistant to the postmortem decomposition and generally withstand flames, alkalis or acids. Teeth can act as a biological marker of aging. For the age estimation, considering those critical factors, there are several methods available. Additionally, it may also depend on other case-specific factors, such as costs, the time and equipment required. In postmortem examination, the quality and quantity of the mortal remains such as the time passed between autopsy and death, environmental conditions and structure of the bodily remains or skeletal parts are critical factors. It needs to be taken into consideration that rather than restricting on one age estimation technique, using the other available techniques additionally and performing repetitive measurements may be beneficial for accurate age estimation.ĭetermination of the age is of great importance for the identification of unknown bodies or skeletal remains in forensics and anthropology. In this chapter, the different techniques and considered studies were overviewed in conjunction with their advantages and disadvantages. The chemical analysis of dental hard tissues determines alterations in ion levels with age, whereas the histological and chemical methods are invasive methods requiring extraction/sectioning of the tooth. Histological methods require the preparation of the tissues for detailed microscopic examination. Radiographs of the dentition can be used to determine the stage of dental development of the teeth from initial mineralization of a tooth, crown formation to root apex maturation.
Visual method is based on the sequence of eruption of the teeth and morphological changes that are caused due to function such as attrition, changes in color that are indicators of aging. Dental age assessment is one of the most reliable methods of chronological age estimation used for criminal, forensic and anthropologic purposes.
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