Dental Age Estimation and Demographics in a US Urban Population

Dental age estimation is widely used in forensic dentistry and legal proceedings. Numerous estimation methods for the sub-adult population exist, however they are variably accurate due to differences in children’s growth patterns. In particular, children’s dental development patterns are influenced by a multitude of factors, including obesity, ancestry, socioeconomic status (SES), and geographic location. The London Atlas of Human Tooth Development and Eruption (LA) was established in the 2000s as a widely used reference database. It is distinct for being explicitly based on a diverse and contemporary sample, namely children of British and Bangladeshi origin. This study employs the LA method for dental age estimation. The objective of this research study is to compare chronological age and calculated age using the LA method on panoramic images. The ∆age (difference in age between estimated dental age and known chronological age) was calculated and then compared for differences against sociodemographic data. In this study, children along with their parents are recruited, and they are requested to participate by completing a questionnaire. This questionnaire includes inquiries regarding ancestry, income, and food security status. Additionally, pertinent data such as height, weight, and panoramic images were extracted from the electronic health records for BMI and dental age calculation. In our sample (n=44), it was found that the LA method overestimated dental age by 1.4 years (p<0.001). Preliminary analysis failed to find an association between dental age and the BMI groups and ancestral groups. Additional incidental findings included no statistical difference in dental age estimation based upon socioeconomic status group or reported food security/insecurity. Our sample was unexpectedly more homogenous than anticipated based upon prior documentation of clinic demographics. Approximately 70% of respondents identified as Hispanic/Latinx, 77% were rated low socioeconomic status, and 31 % reported some degree of food insecurity. These findings emphasize the need for further investigation of more applicable dental age estimation methods, as well as to understand additional factors influencing dental development.