TY - JOUR
T1 - Dental age estimation of living persons
T2 - Comparison of MRI with OPG
AU - Baumann, Pia
AU - Widek, Thomas
AU - Merkens, Heiko
AU - Boldt, Julian
AU - Petrovic, Andreas
AU - Urschler, Martin
AU - Kirnbauer, Barbara
AU - Jakse, Norbert
AU - Scheurer, Eva
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
PY - 2015/8/1
Y1 - 2015/8/1
N2 - The need for forensic age estimations in living adolescents is high mainly due to migration, particularly from countries where birth dates are not reliably documented. To date, the gold standard of dental age estimation is the evaluation of the mineralization and eruption stages of the third molars using an orthopantomogram (OPG). However, the use of ionizing radiation without medical indication is ethically controversial and not permitted in many countries. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate if dental MRI can be used for the assessment of dental age with equally good results as when using an OPG.27 healthy volunteers (19 ♀, 8 ♂, age range 13.6-23.1 years, median 18.9 years) underwent an MRI scan of the jaw after a clinically indicated OPG. Mineralization and eruption stages of the molars were independently analyzed on OPGs and MRI by two blinded dentists according to the staging system established by Demirjian and Olze, respectively. The results of OPG and MRI were compared and inter-rater agreement was determined.The developmental stages of the 262 evaluated molars could be clearly differentiated in MRI. For both, mineralization and eruption, there was a good correlation between MRI and OPG. Overall MRI tended to yield slightly lower stages than the OPG. Inter-rater agreement was moderate for mineralization and good regarding eruption.Although a validation of these results using modality-specific reference values is needed, dental MRI seems to be suitable for a use in dental age estimation.
AB - The need for forensic age estimations in living adolescents is high mainly due to migration, particularly from countries where birth dates are not reliably documented. To date, the gold standard of dental age estimation is the evaluation of the mineralization and eruption stages of the third molars using an orthopantomogram (OPG). However, the use of ionizing radiation without medical indication is ethically controversial and not permitted in many countries. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate if dental MRI can be used for the assessment of dental age with equally good results as when using an OPG.27 healthy volunteers (19 ♀, 8 ♂, age range 13.6-23.1 years, median 18.9 years) underwent an MRI scan of the jaw after a clinically indicated OPG. Mineralization and eruption stages of the molars were independently analyzed on OPGs and MRI by two blinded dentists according to the staging system established by Demirjian and Olze, respectively. The results of OPG and MRI were compared and inter-rater agreement was determined.The developmental stages of the 262 evaluated molars could be clearly differentiated in MRI. For both, mineralization and eruption, there was a good correlation between MRI and OPG. Overall MRI tended to yield slightly lower stages than the OPG. Inter-rater agreement was moderate for mineralization and good regarding eruption.Although a validation of these results using modality-specific reference values is needed, dental MRI seems to be suitable for a use in dental age estimation.
KW - Age estimation
KW - Eruption
KW - Forensic
KW - Mineralization
KW - Molar
KW - MRI
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84936114743&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.06.001
DO - 10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.06.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 26093127
AN - SCOPUS:84936114743
SN - 0379-0738
VL - 253
SP - 76
EP - 80
JO - Forensic Science International
JF - Forensic Science International
ER -