Dental Age Estimation Methods in Forensic Dentistry: Literature Review

Abstract

Introduction: Age estimation is essential in human identification, but also in civil and pension lawsuits. Teeth maturation is better than other structures and the dental changes provide characteristics which are grouped in different age estimation methods.Objective: The purpose of this literature review was to present the main methods in age estimation that have been currently used. Material and Methods: The database searched was PubMed and the terms used were “dental age estimation methods” and “forensic dentistry”. Just papers about dental age estimation methods written in English between 2012 and 2015 were selected. Results: 67 papers were retrieved through electronic searching, but nine studies were excluded. Conclusion: The most dental age estimation methods were based on developmental stages of the teeth through radiographs and they were applied in children and sub-adults in countries of the different continents.