Opeodu O I, Sigbeku O F
Department of Periodontology & Community Dentistry, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan.
Department of Oral Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan.
Ann Ib Postgrad Med. 2023 Dec;21(3):69-74. Epub 2024 Jan 30.
Age estimation for sporting activities, legal age determination and migration purpose is oftentimes essential, which makes the need for a scientifically proven method of age estimation an important aspect of medical practice. Forensic odontology is an essential aspect of forensic practice and may be a veritable tool in age estimation.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of orthopantomograms (OPG) in age estimation among selected Nigerians.
A retrospective assessment of 202 OPGs was done to review the visibility of the periodontal ligament of third molars with completed root formation according to the methods described by Olze et al (2010). Individual ages were then calculated by deducting date of exposure from the date of birth recorded in years. Mean age with standard deviation were calculated for each group.
Assessing the minimum and maximum age at which each of the stages of the radiographic visibility of the periodontal ligament as seen on the OPGs revealed that there was a gradual increase in the age at which the stage increment occurred, with a few exceptions. Comparison of the radiographic visibility of the periodontal ligament revealed that males tend to achieve early periodontal visibility stages compared to females, but the reverse was observed in later stages. Age 17 is more than likely attained in any person found within stages 1 to 3 as the minimum age found in these stages were above 17 years.
With a few exceptions, the assessment of periodontal ligament visibility on OPGs can adequately predict the age of individuals. Thus, the use of this method may need to be combined with other methods in accurate determination of dental age in instances of forensic age estimation.
对于体育活动、法定年龄确定及移民目的而言，年龄估计常常至关重要，这使得需要一种经科学验证的年龄估计方法成为医学实践的一个重要方面。法医牙科学是法医实践的一个重要方面，可能是年龄估计中一种切实可行的工具。
本研究的目的是评估全景曲面断层片（OPG）在选定的尼日利亚人群中进行年龄估计的有用性。
根据Olze等人（2010年）描述的方法，对202张OPG进行回顾性评估，以观察牙根形成完成的第三磨牙牙周膜的可视性。然后通过从记录的出生年份中减去曝光日期来计算个体年龄。计算每组的平均年龄及标准差。
评估OPG上可见的牙周膜各阶段的最小和最大年龄发现，阶段增加时年龄逐渐上升，但有少数例外。牙周膜影像学可视性的比较显示，与女性相比，男性往往更早达到牙周可视阶段，但在后期阶段则相反。在第1至3阶段发现的任何人，其年龄很可能超过17岁，因为这些阶段发现的最小年龄都高于17岁。
除少数例外情况外，通过评估OPG上的牙周膜可视性能够充分预测个体年龄。因此，在法医年龄估计的情况下，使用这种方法可能需要与其他方法相结合，以准确确定牙齿年龄。
