Age estimation by aspartic acid racemization in dentin of deciduous teeth.

In forensic dental medicine, one of the most important endeavors is the estimation of age. We have studied the method of age assessment using the D/L ratio of aspartic acid from the dentin. The age of deciduous teeth has been estimated by measuring the racemization reaction of this amino acid. The results of the present study indicated that the measured D/L ratio for the dentin of deciduous teeth was highly correlated with the real age (r = 0.824 - 0.981 (sigma = +/- 0.5 to +/- 1.3). These results indicate that age can be accurately estimated from the dentin of deciduous teeth, as it can when permanent teeth are used, and that the D/L ratio is more highly correlated with age than is the eruption time of permanent teeth.