The coronal pulp cavity index: A biomarker for age determination in human adults

• Published in: American journal of physical anthropology 1997-07, Vol.103 (3), p.353-363
• Main Authors: Drusini, Andrea G., Toso, Oriella, Ranzato, Cristina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Determination by Teeth - methods; Aged; aging; Aging - pathology; Bicuspid - anatomy & histology; Bicuspid - diagnostic imaging; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers; Child; coronal pulp chamber; Craniology; Dental Pulp Cavity - anatomy & histology; Dental Pulp Cavity - diagnostic imaging; Female; Human body; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous. Technology; Models, Biological; Molar - anatomy & histology; Molar - diagnostic imaging; Pathology. Cytology. Biochemistry. Spectrometry. Miscellaneous investigative techniques; Physical anthropology; Regression Analysis; teeth; X-ray
• ISSN: 0002-9483; 1096-8644
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1096-8644(199707)103:3<353::AID-AJPA5>3.0.CO;2-R

The correlation between reduction of the coronal pulp cavity and chronological age was examined in a sample of 846 intact teeth from 433 individuals of known age and sex. Panoramic (rotational) radiography was used to measure the height (mm) of the crown (CH = coronal height) and the height (mm) of the coronal pulp cavity (CPCH = coronal pulp cavity height) of 425 premolars and 421 molars from 213 males and 220 females. The tooth‐coronal index (TCI) after Ikeda et al. ([1985] Jpn. J. For. Med. 39:244–250) was computed for each tooth and regressed on real age. The correlation coefficients ranged from −0.92 (molars, combined sample, right side) to −0.87 (female molars), with an S.E. of the estimate ranging from 5.88–6.66 years. Correlations were slightly higher in males than females. The equations obtained allowed estimation of age in a sample of 100 teeth from both sexes (not used for the regression) with an error of ±5 years in 81.4% of cases for male molars. The regression formulae for estimating age obtained from the recent sample were tested on a historical sample of 100 teeth from 100‐year‐old skeletons with an error of ±5 years in 70.37% of cases for male molars. This study illustrates the potential value of a little‐known aging method which can be easily applied to estimate age in both living individuals and skeletal material of unknown age. Am J Phys Anthropol 103:353–363, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.