Dental Age: Are We Different? Testing the London Atlas on the Hispanic Children of Chicago

Dental Age: Are we different? Testing the London Atlas on the Hispanic Children of Chicago Purpose: To test the accuracy of the London Atlas for age estimation of Hispanic children and to determine if there is any difference in age accuracy between males and females. Methods: The London Atlas was used to estimate age from panoramic radiographs of 17 males and 17 females for each year of age from 6 to 15.99 years. Radiographs were obtained from the electronic patient database of the UIC College of Dentistry. Exclusion criteria included gross pathology, hypodontia, hyperdontia, and previous orthodontic treatment. Ages were estimated using the London Atlas of Tooth Development (Queen Mary University, London, England). Results: There were 332 panoramic radiographs evaluated. In the age bracket 6 – 6.99 years, only 26 radiographs were available. The mean age estimated by the London Atlas (11.44 years) was greater than the mean chronological age of the entire sample (11.09 years), which was statistically significant (P<.001). The mean difference for males was 0.30 years and for females was 0.40 years. The difference between males and females was not significant (P=.324). 162 (49%) radiographs were estimated to the exact age interval while 45 (14%) were under-estimated and 125 (38%) were over-estimated. Two hundred and forty (72%) radiographs were estimated to a value within one year of the actual age. Conclusion: There is an age overestimation of Hispanic children using the London Atlas but the accuracy is suitable for use in forensic investigation.