Root Dentin Translucency and Forensic International Dental Database: Methodology for estimation age-at-death in adults using single-rooted teeth

Assessment of dental age estimation using dentinal translucency in ground sections of single rooted teeth: a digital image analysis

Human dentition is unique to individuals and helps in identification of individuals in forensic odontology. This study proposes to study the manually ground sections of single rooted teeth using digital methods for dental age estimation. To assess the dentinal translucency from the scanned digital images of manually ground section of teeth using commercially available image edition software. Corroborating the root dentinal translucency length and region of interest (ROI) of translucency zone in pixels (as a marker of dental age) with the chronological age of the subject, as stratified by different age groups. Twenty single-rooted extracted teeth from 20 patients each from 6 groups divided as per age. Manual sectioning of the teeth followed by scanning the sections was done. Root area in pixels and ROI of translucency zone were measured. From the observed values, translucency length percentage (TLP) and percentage of ROI in pixels (TPP) was calculated and tabulated. Pearson's correlation coefficients were obtained for age with TLP and TPP. Positive correlation existed between age and TLP and also between age and TPP. With the obtained data, multilinear regression equations for specific age groups based on 10-year intervals were derived. By a step-down analysis method, age was estimated with an average error of around ±7.9 years. This study gives a novel method for age-estimation that can be applied in real-time forensic sciences.

Three decades after the publication of the Lamendin method for adult age-at-death estimation: Methodological evolution of the procedure and interpretations

More than three decades have passed since the publication of Lamendin et al.'s proposal in 1992. Over this time, numerous investigations have been conducted to assess the applicability of the technique in different populations with acceptable results in terms of estimation errors. The proposal by Lamendin and colleagues remains relevant today, and has made a significant contribution to adult age-at-death estimation due to its simplicity, repeatability, replicability, and high performance. Indeed, significant progress towards systematizing and strengthening the procedure has been reported in the published literature. One noteworthy advancement is the development of an international database that supports the use of Bayesian statistics for age-at-death estimation. This resource plays a crucial role in standardizing the methodology and improving the reliability for obtaining more reliable results on a global scale. The aim of this study is to investigate the historical evolution of the technique, to assess the accuracy of the results obtained by different analytic procedures, and to explore its impact in forensic applications through a systematic analysis of the specialized literature on this field. The current state of research indicates that this type of methodological research is an ongoing process, far from being completed. Many questions and challenges that require further attention to address effectively these issues remain unanswered, such as the development of non-linear regressions and probabilistic approaches, the deepening of procedures that improve global approximations, and the intensification of research focused on achieving more accurate estimations among individuals over 70 years-old. However, studies generally agree that the Lamendin technique works well for individuals between the ages of 30-60 years. It is still in force today, although the method has been significantly perfected. Despite the degree of research development in this area, further efforts are needed to improve the understanding and performance of these kinds of procedures. This will ultimately lead to an improvement in the accuracy and reliability of forensic investigation results worldwide.

Root dentin translucency and age at death estimation in adults using single rooted teeth: Update of the Forensic International Dental Database

Since the publication of Lamendin's age estimation technique, the root dentin translucency has received increasing attention as an important indicator of age. Recently, Parra and colleagues presented the Forensic International Dental Database (FIDB), a proposal to estimate age at death in adults based on Bayes theorem by applying the criteria of Lamendin's technique. The present study aims to update the procedure and to evaluate a new version of the method (named FIDBv2) using two control samples from Colombia and Greece. The performance of this new version was acceptable and suggests that the method is suitable for age at death estimation in adult individuals from different forensic contexts. The best approximations to chronological age were obtained for individuals between 30 and 60 years old, with errors less than 10 years. The age estimations calculated on control samples suggest the adequate performance of FIDBv2 on individuals from varied populations. It can be stated that the FIDBv2 constitutes a solid alternative to be used in contexts where no additional data are available. Here we reinforce the initial idea that this model for estimating age at death in adults may be generalizable to any forensic context in the world.

Influence of light conditions (colour temperature and illuminance) on the evaluation of root translucency for the application of Lamendin's age-at-death estimation technique

Estimation of age-at-death represents a central focus in forensic human identification, as it is a key parameter used in the identification of unidentified bodies. In 1992, Lamendin et al. published a simple technique for estimating the age-at-death of adult skeletal remains based on two dental criteria: the gingival regression and the extent of dentine translucency. Although Lamendin's technique is widely used in forensic contexts and the evaluation of root translucency is a key element in the technique, the light conditions for measuring this parameter have not been adequately established. The aim of the present study is to analyse the influence of colour temperature and illuminance level of a LED light source when root translucency is evaluated to optimize the use of Lamendin's technique for age-at-death estimation. The results describe how light settings may affect the visual perception of root translucency by different examiners and, therefore, affect the accuracy of the age-at-death estimation methods and techniques based on this parameter.

Adult age-at-death estimation using the first rib: A simple probabilistic approach

Age-at-death estimation is a difficult task in fragmented or incomplete contexts. The generation and testing of methods are needed to identify their potential application in different types of osteological samples. This paper proposes a new method for age estimation using the first rib. Four hundred and fifteen individuals from the Coimbra Identified Skeletal Collections (Portugal) were studied; the sample was divided in two groups (reference and test samples), used to develop the procedure and to evaluate its reliability. The three rib joints and two variables (surface texture and topography, and periarticular margins and subsidence of the surface) were recorded. Statistical analyses were performed to test the procedure reproducibility, and side and sex variations. Posterior probabilities were calculated following Bayesian statistics and used to estimate the most likely age-at-death in the test sample. The results show the reproducibility of the method is adequate, left and right ribs can be indistinctly recorded, and both sexes show similar change patterns. The costal face and the head epiphyseal region offered satisfactory results and the percentages of correct estimations are greater for younger individuals, decreasing as ages-at-death are higher. This method is more effective among individuals in the 20-50 years cohort; nevertheless, it also offered satisfactory estimates in older ones. Overestimations in individuals younger than 40 years and underestimations in individuals older than 75 years were identified. In conclusion, the first rib offer adequate estimates when a basic probabilistic approach is chosen. Whenever possible, this proposal must be included in a multifactorial perspective with other age markers.

Accuracy of forensic age estimation using cementum annulation and dentin translucency in adult: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Identification of the living and the dead individual is essential in routine forensic dental examinations. Age determination can be of great value in forensic odontology, not only in identifying bodies but also in relation to crime. When subjects have extensive changes that external features provide no information, teeth are often the only means of identification. Several procedures for age-at-death estimation in adults have been introduced. Two of them, cementum annulation and dentin translucency, are frequently used as a single dental indicator. Cementum annulation refers to an alternating dark and light band; each pair of it represents 1 year. Meanwhile, dentin translucency is the other dental physiological process that begins in the second or third decade of life and progresses with age. There are still few studies that compared both methods and their accuracy in estimating adult age at death. Therefore, this study aims to test and compare cementum annulation and dentin translucency accuracy by performing a systematic search on five online databases (Pubmed, Scopus, Ebsco, ScienceDirect, and Wiley). All the research articles must be published in the last 10 years, and the full paper must be available in English. Out of the total 1178 literature, 28 studies were recruited for qualitative analysis and 23 studies for meta-analysis. The results show that dentin translucency age estimation is more accurate than the cementum annulation method in the entire population. It is recommended to use the cementum annulation method for younger adults (15-44 years) and the dentin translucency method for the older ones (≥ 45 years).

Age-at-death estimation in adults using three forensic methodologies: A Lamendin's technique approach for Latin American context and the extension of a forensic international dental database

In forensic science, the information that teeth provide to the age estimation process is very important. In adults, one of the most widely used indicators of skeletal age is the Root Dentin Translucency (RDT), mainly through the Lamendin technique, which is used in various Latin American contexts. Recently, Parra et al. (2020) have developed a Bayesian regression model using the Lamendin technique to establish standardized criteria for estimating age-at-death in adults in various forensic contexts. In this study, we evaluate the applicability of this proposal together with the proposal by Lamendin et al. (1992) and Prince and Ubelaker (2002) in Latin American contexts. A sample of single-rooted teeth belonging to 805 individuals from six Latin American countries was used. The results of the three proposals considered were analyzed taking into account factors such as age, sex, origin, and the tooth surface on which the variables were surveyed. Of the factors that would affect the estimates, it was found that the age of the individuals had the greatest influence. However, it was confirmed that the sex and surface of the teeth on which the measurements were taken did not influence the final result. On the other hand, as we expected, the application of the analyzed proposals would also be possible in other forensic contexts, as shown by the results obtained according to the origin. This research expands the FIDB with more information on Latino contexts.