A Review on Clinical and Forensic perspective of Dental Age Estimation in Children

Abstract

Dental age assessment is one of the most reliable methods of age estimation used for criminal, forensic, and clinical purposes. Visual, radiographic, chemical, and histological techniques can be used for dental age estimation. The visual method is based on the teeth' eruption sequence, morphological changes caused by attrition, and changes in color with age. Radiographs of the dentition can be used to determine the stage of dental development of the teeth, from initial mineralization of a tooth and crown formation to root apex completion. Histological methods require the preparation of the tissues for detailed microscopic examination. The histological and chemical methods are invasive methods requiring extraction/sectioning of the tooth. In this paper, the different techniques considered studies were overviewed in conjunction with their advantages and disadvantages.