Subjects with bilaterally missing mandibular teeth other than third molar were excluded. The study analyzed two classes of methods, one with percentiles that gave the maturity score as a function of age (Demirjian's method), and a second that used polynomial interpolation to give estimated age as a function of the maturity score. The first method provided strong accuracy, but reliability (1.07 percent of misclassifies) was lower than for polynomial functions. The second method is useful in forensic contexts, allowing for higher reliability (0.19 percent of misclassified), but accuracy decreased by more or less 7.5 months. The use of polynomial functions is recommended for forensic purposes in estimating age. If a tooth is missing on one side, Demirjian proposes using the comparable tooth on the other side of the mouth. If both teeth are missing, however, it is impossible to calculate the maturity score under Demirjian's method. In a forensic context, a child with the same type of tooth missing on both sides must still be aged. In addition, dental maturity does not follow a linear progression; dental development is curvilinear with acceleration and stops, so polynomial functions are recommended. 7 tables, 6 figures, and 39 references