Odontología

Abstracto

Radiographic Evaluation of Developmental Stages of Third Molar in Relation to Chronological Age as Applicability in Forensic Age Estimation

Arati S. Panchabhai

Objectives: The need for age estimation is increasing day by day; difficulty in human age estimation after 14 years of age has greatly shifted the focus on third molar. Radiographic evaluation of presence, position and degree of third molar formation can be utilized in forensic age estimation. The present study aimed to evaluate the development of third molar in relation to chronological age.

Methods: The present study included sample of 479 subjects in the age range 5-30 years, for each subject,orthopantomograph was taken. To assess the developmental stages of third molars; the staging system described by Nolla [1] CM was used.

Results: Overall, no significant differences were observed in mean ages at which the developmental stages were reached in all four third molars. The absence of crypt was observed more for maxillary third molars, contrarily, stages 1,2,3 were reached earlier in mandibular third molars. In case of presence of four completely developed third molars in a subject, the probability of an individual to be older than 18 years of age was 94.35% for females and 95.23% for males.

Conclusion: Third molar teeth are well known for their variability in development, eruption pattern, size, contour and relative positions as compare to other teeth. In spite of variations, third molars are still at the centre of medicolegal interest; and its significance in age determination is justified as no other reliable age indicator is available to determine the age in adults. Besides, it will help to separate adolescents from adults as jurisprudence differs for juvenile detainees.