Age Estimation by Measurements of Developing Teeth: Accuracy of Cameriere's Method on a Brazilian Sample

• Published in: Journal of forensic sciences 2011-11, Vol.56 (6), p.1616-1619
• Main Authors: Fernandes, Mário Marques, Tinoco, Rachel Lima Ribeiro, de Braganca, Daniel Pereira Parreiras, de Lima, Silas Henrique Rabelo, Junior, Luiz Francesquini, Junior, Eduardo Daruge
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age; Age Determination by Teeth - methods; age estimation; Brazil; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Chronology; Criteria; Dentition, Permanent; Estimates; Estimating techniques; Evaluation; Female; Forensic Dentistry; Forensic odontology; forensic science; Forensic sciences; human identification; Humans; Male; Mandible; method; Radiographs; Radiography, Panoramic; Reproducibility of Results; Teeth; Tooth Apex - anatomy & histology; Young adults
• ISSN: 0022-1198; 1556-4029
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2011.01860.x

:  Developing teeth are commonly the criteria used for age estimation in children and young adults. The method developed by Cameriere et al. (Int J Legal Med 2006;120:49‐52) is based on measures of teeth with open apex, and application of a formula, to estimate chronological age of children. The present study evaluated a sample of panoramic radiographs from Brazilian children from 5 to 15 years of age, to evaluate the accuracy of the method proposed by Cameriere et al. The results has proven the system reliable for age estimation, with a median residual error of −0.014 years between chronological and estimated ages (p = 0.603). There was a slight tendency to overestimate the ages of 5–10 years and underestimate the ages of 11–15 years.