A Comparative Evaluation of Gustafson’s Formula and New Formula for Age Estimation in India – A Forensic Study

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.

Age estimation in the living: A scoping review of population data for skeletal and dental methods

Age estimation of living individuals has become a crucial part of the forensic practice, especially due to the global increase in cross-border migration. The low rate of birth registration in many countries, hence of identification documents of migrants, especially in Africa and Asia, highlights the importance of reliable methods for age estimation of living individuals. Despite the fact that a number of skeletal and dental methods for age estimation have been developed, their main limitation is that they are based on specific reference samples and there is still no consensus among researchers on whether these methods can be applied to all populations. Though this issue remains still unsolved, population information at a glance could be useful for forensic practitioners dealing with such issues. This study aims at presenting a scoping review and mapping of the current situation concerning population data for skeletal (hand-wrist and clavicle) and dental methods (teeth eruption and third molar formation) for age estimation in the living. Two hundred studies on the rate of skeletal maturation and four hundred thirty-nine on the rate of dental maturation were found, covering the period from 1952 and 2020 for a total of ninety-eight countries. For most of the western and central African countries there are currently no data on the rate of skeletal and dental maturation. The same applies to the countries of the Middle East, as well as the eastern European countries, especially as regard the skeletal development.

The development and status of forensic anthropology in India: A review of the literature and future directions

Forensic anthropology deals with the identification of human remains in a legal setting. The primary role of a forensic anthropologist is to evaluate human skeletal remains and ascertain the biological profile of the deceased. Forensic anthropologists thus use their expertise to assist medical examiners, as well as law enforcement agencies. Forensic anthropology was not recognised as a subject specialty of much significance in most parts of the world for a long time. However, now its status has changed, mostly in the USA and parts of Europe. The scope of the subject ranges from evaluation of human skeletal remains to the identification of the living. In the new millennium, the role of forensic anthropologists includes disaster victim identification, photographic superimposition, facial image reconstruction in CCTV footage, gait pattern analysis from video surveillance, ascertaining the age of an individual in absence of legal documents and paedo-pornographic materials. Despite its relevance in human identification, the development of forensic anthropology in India is not very encouraging. Only a few institutions in India include forensic anthropology as a part of the forensic science degree programme, and there are no certified courses in anthropology either. Likewise, there are limited employment opportunities for forensic anthropologists in medical institutes/organisations/universities. This comprehensive review focuses on the status and development of forensic anthropology in India and emphasises the need for its recognition as a specialty of significance. The article also throws light on the comparison of its status in the Indian context vis a vis developed nations.

Oral Pathology in Forensic Investigation

Forensic odontology is the subdiscipline of dentistry which analyses dental evidence in the interest of justice. Oral pathology is the subdiscipline of dentistry that deals with the pathology affecting the oral and maxillofacial regions. This subdiscipline is utilized for identification through oral and maxillofacial pathologies with associated syndromes, enamel rod patterns, sex determination using exfoliative cytology, identification from occlusal morphology of teeth, and deoxyribonucleic acid profiling from teeth. This subdiscipline is also utilized for age estimation studies which include Gustafson's method, incremental lines of Retzius, perikymata, natal line formation in teeth, neonatal line, racemization of collagen in dentin, cemental incremental lines, thickness of the cementum, and translucency of dentin. Even though the expertise of an oral pathologist is not taken in forensic investigations, this paper aims to discuss the role of oral pathology in forensic investigation.

Accuracy of the third molar maturity index in assessing the legal age of 18 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The age estimation is a complex procedure required in the daily practice of legal medicine. The maturity of third molars stands out by the age of 18 because these teeth are still in development. This systematic review aimed to assess the accuracy of the third molar maturity index (I _3M), proposed by Cameriere et al. (2008), in discriminating whether an individual is under or over 18 years. Seven electronic databases were screened: PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Library, LILACS, SIGLE, and CAPES. Eligible studies included an assessment of I _3M accuracy at the 0.08 cut-off value. The quality assessment was performed by using QUADAS 2. Three meta-analyses (MA) were accomplished: overall, one for males and another for females. From 2397 articles identified, 16 met the eligibility criteria. Of these, two showed high risk of bias, one in the reference standard domain and the other in the flow and timing domain. The percentage of individuals correctly classified ranged from 72.4 to 96.0%. The overall MA showed pooled sensitivity of 0.86 (0.84 to 0.87; p = 0.0000) and pooled specificity of 0.93 (0.92 to 0.94; p = 0.0000). The AUC (area under the summary receiver operator characteristics curve) and DOR (diagnostic odds ratio) values were, respectively, 0.9652 and 104.68, indicating an overall high discrimination effect. Separately, better results of accuracy were found for males. High heterogeneity was achieved for both sensibility (94.6%) and specificity (88.8%). We conclude that the I _3M is a suitable and useful method for estimating adulthood regarding forensic purposes, regardless of gender.