Age estimation in children by measurement of open apices in teeth: a European formula

Int J Legal Med. 2007 Nov;121(6):449-53. doi: 10.1007/s00414-007-0179-1. Epub 2007 Jun 5.

Abstract

The aim of the present paper was to improve and expand research with a larger number of children from various European countries and to provide a common formula useful for all these countries. Orthopantomographs taken from 2,652 European Caucasian children (1,382 boys, 1,270 girls) aged between 4 and 16 years were analyzed. The children came from Croatia, Germany, Kosovo, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, and the UK. Following the pilot study, subjects' age was modeled as a function of gender (g), morphological variables (predictors) x 5(second premolar), s (sum of normalized open apices) N 0, and the first-order interaction between s and N 0. The results showed that all these variables contributed significantly to the fit, so that all were included in the regression model, yielding the following linear regression formula: Age = 8.387 + 0.282 g - 1.692 x 5 + 0.835 N 0 - 0.116 s - 0.139 s x N 0, where g is a variable, 1 for males and 0 for females. The equation explained 86.1% (R2 = 0.861) of total deviance. The median of the residuals (=observed age minus predicted age) was -0.114 years, with (RefB.2) interquartile range = 1.22 years.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Age Determination by Teeth / methods*
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cross-Cultural Comparison
  • Europe
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Observer Variation
  • Radiography, Panoramic*
  • Tooth Apex / diagnostic imaging*