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Comparison of Demirjian's Four Dental Development Methods for Forensic Age Assessment

NCJ Number
236896
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 56 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2011 Pages: 1610-1615
Author(s)
Sara J. Flood, B.Sc., M.F.Sc.; Warren J. Mitchell, B.Sc.; Charles E. Oxnard, M.B., Ch.B., Ph.D., D.Sc.; Berwin A. Turlach, Ph.D.; John McGeachie, B.D.Sc., D.Sc.
Date Published
November 2011
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The aim of this study was to determine the comparative accuracy of Demirjian's four dental development methods for forensic age estimation in the Western Australian population.
Abstract
A sample comprising 143 individuals aged 4.6 to 14.5 years were assessed using Demirjian's four methods for dental development (original 7-tooth: M2, M1, PM2, PM1, C, I2, and I1; revised 7-tooth: M2, M1, PM2, PM1, C, I2, and I1; 4-tooth: M2, M1, PM2, and PM1; and an alternate 4-tooth: M2, PM2, PM1, and I1). When comparing all four methods, the 4-tooth method overestimated age in both males and females by 0.04 and 0.25 years, respectively. The original 7-tooth was least accurate for males, while the original 7-tooth, the revised 7-tooth, and the alternate 4-tooth were unsuitable for females. Therefore, the authors recommend the 4-tooth method to be used for forensic age estimation in Western Australian males and females, as it has the lowest overall mean deviation and the highest accuracy. (Published Abstract)