Age Estimation Based on Pulp Chamber Size of Mandibular First Molars from Intraoral Periapical Radiographs in Korean.

Jeon, Hye Mi; Jang, Seok Min; Kim, Kyung Hee; Kim, So Yeun; Jung, Kyung Hwa; Ok, Soo Min; Jeong, Sung Hee; Ahn, Yong Woo

doi:2018.42.2.56

Korean J Leg Med > Volume 42(2); 2018 > Article

Original article

Korean Journal of Legal Medicine 2018;42(2):56-61.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7580/kjlm.2018.42.2.56 Published online May 31, 2018.

Age Estimation Based on Pulp Chamber Size of Mandibular First Molars from Intraoral Periapical Radiographs in Korean.

Hye Mi Jeon, Seok Min Jang, Kyung Hee Kim, So Yeun Kim, Kyung Hwa Jung, Soo Min Ok, Sung Hee Jeong, Yong Woo Ahn

¹Dental Clinic Center, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea.
²Department of Oral Medicine, School of Dentistry, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Korea. ahnyongw@pusan.ac.kr
³Department of Oral Medicine, Inje University Pusan Paik Hospital, Inje University, Busan, Korea.

Abstract

The teeth are the hardest structures in the body and can be a biomarker of aging. The aging process and degenerative changes in the teeth are helpful for estimation of age in adults. One of the best-known features of dental aging is a reduction in the size of the pulp chamber as a result of secondary deposition of dentin. In this study, we developed new regression models to estimate chronological age in Korean adults using the mandibular first molars to examine the relationship between age and pulp cavity size on intraoral radiographs. Intraoral periapical digital radiographs of the mandibular first molars were collected from 243 patients (147 male, 96 female) of known age. The radiographic images were analyzed by using the Adobe Photoshop CS5 image editing program. The pulp chamber height ratio (PCHR), pulp chamber width ratio (PCWR) were calculated and found to have a significant negative correlation with age. The correlation was consistently higher for PCHR than for PCWR. The strongest correlation was found for PCHR in female patients (r=−0.824). Multiple regression models were derived using the PCHR and PCWR. The determination coefficients (R²) of the models ranged from 0.660 to 0.730. Our results indicate that the measurement of pulp chamber height and width in the mandibular first molar is a practical, simple and reliable method for estimation of age in Korean adults.

Key Words: Age determination by teeth, Dentin, Korea, Population, Radiography