Age Estimation in Libyan Children Based on Dental Panoramic Radiography

Background: Age estimation plays a key role in the human identification process, and in guiding police investigations. Tooth development is widely used in determining age and state of maturity. Dental age (DA) is of high importance in forensic and pediatric dentistry and also orthodontic treatment planning. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of the Cameriere method in estimating chronological age (CA) of a Libyan sample of 6-year-old up to 13-year-old children through analysis of panoramic radiographs on teeth, considering the relationship between age and measurements of open apices teeth. Materials and methods: Orthopantomographic images of 156 radiographs were selected for the study of which 76 belonged to boys and 80 girls children. The dental age of the subjects was determined through the Cameriere method. Differences and correlations between chronological and dental ages were assessed by paired t-tests and Pearson’s correlation analysis, respectively. Multiple regression analysis was used to predict chronologic age in Libyan from 6-13 years children population. Results: A high positive correlation was found between chronologic age and dental age (as assessed by Cameriere's formula) with r values 0.882, 0.975, and 0.758 for the total, girls and boys study population, respectively. The mean dental age assessed by Cameriere's method was significantly lower than the chronologic age in the Libyan population with boys and the total study population (p < 0.05). Six out of nine parameters were significantly associated with chronologic age (R2=0.996, F (6,155)= 2792.023, p<0.01). Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that Cameriere’s method is a robust tool for age estimation. These results underscore the high accuracy and importance of assessing dental development for precise age estimation. Based on this research, we can conclude that Cameriere’s method is suitable for dental age estimation in Libyan children.