CHRONOLOGICAL AGE ESTIMATION USING PULP VOLUME AND TOOTH VOLUME RATIO IN CANINES: A CBCT-BASED ANALYSIS.

Objective: To evaluate the correlation between chronological age and the pulp/tooth volume ratio in maxillary and mandibular canines using cone beam computed tomography. Cone beam computed tomography scans of 120 subjects (60males, 60females) a Methods: ged 20-70 years were analyzed. Pulp and tooth volumes of maxillary and mandibular canines were measured using semi-automatic segmentation. The pulp/tooth volume ratio was calculated. A significant negative correlation was observed between pulp/tooth volume rati Results: o and chronological age (r = -0.847, p < 0.001). Maxillary canines showed a stronger correlation (r = -0.862) than mandibular canines (r = -0.831). The regression model derived from maxillary canines represented higher accuracy (R²=0.743, SEE=±5.21 years) compared to mandibular canines (R²=0.691, SEE=±5.86 years).No significant gender differences were observed (p= 0.083). Cone beam computed tomography based pulp/toot Conclusion: h volume ratio measurement in canines provides a reliable and non- invasive method for age estimation in adults. Maxillary canines appear to be more accurate predictors of age than mandibular canines. The regression equations developed can serve as valuable tools in forensic investigations and age estimation.