Dental color measurement to estimate age in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Jaime Martín-Martín; Ignacio Santos; María J Gaitán-Arroyo; Juan Suarez; Leticia Rubio; Stella Martín-de-Las-Heras

doi:10.1007/s12024-024-00798-4

Dental color measurement to estimate age in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Forensic Sci Med Pathol. 2024 Mar 8. doi: 10.1007/s12024-024-00798-4. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jaime Martín-Martín^#^{1

2}, Ignacio Santos^#^{1

2}, María J Gaitán-Arroyo^{1

2}, Juan Suarez^{1

2}, Leticia Rubio^{3

4}, Stella Martín-de-Las-Heras^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Area of Legal and Forensic Medicine. Department of Human Anatomy, Legal Medicine and History of Science, University of Malaga, Bulevar Louis Pasteur 32, 29071, Malaga, Spain.
² Biomedical Research Institute of Malaga (IBIMA), Malaga, Spain.
³ Area of Legal and Forensic Medicine. Department of Human Anatomy, Legal Medicine and History of Science, University of Malaga, Bulevar Louis Pasteur 32, 29071, Malaga, Spain. lorubio@uma.es.
⁴ Biomedical Research Institute of Malaga (IBIMA), Malaga, Spain. lorubio@uma.es.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 38459359
DOI: 10.1007/s12024-024-00798-4

Abstract

Age estimation is a major challenge in anthropology and forensic odontology laboratories, as well as in judicial settings, as one of the tools used in human identification. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of age estimation methods based on the accurate measurement of tooth color changes. A systematic review was carried out following the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and in compliance with Cochrane criteria recommendations (PROSPERO registration number CRD 42022343371). An electronic search was performed in the following databases: Pubmed, Web of Science, Medline, Current Contents Connect, SciELO, KCI-Korean Journal Database, Derwent Innovations Index and Russian Citation Index. The search strategy yielded a total of 18 articles. A randomized meta-analysis model of the results for the CIE L*a*b* color variables stratified by age (less than 30 years, 30-60 years, 60 years and older) was performed with 9 of the 18 studies included in this systematic review. According to our results, sex and location of color measurement are the most influential factors in color estimation. All studies were carried out in healthy anterior teeth by spectrophotometry as the most commonly used method for color measurement, with CIE L*a*b* being the most commonly analyzed parameters. Studies based on age as a dependent variable showed R² values between 0.28 and 0.56, being higher in ex vivo teeth. Studies based on age as an independent variable showed R² values ranging from 0.10 to 0.48. The random model showed high heterogeneity for the L*, a* and b* parameters in all age groups, which is explained by discrepancies in age range and non-standardized conditions for color measurement. This systematic review highlights the need to protocolize age estimation studies that measure tooth color, in order to apply this method in different forensic settings.

Keywords: Age estimation; Color; Forensic anthropology; Forensic odontology; Legal medicine; Teeth.

Publication types

Review