Age estimation in Western Chinese adults by pulp–tooth volume ratios using cone-beam computed tomography

Abstract

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to develop population-specific regression equations for age estimation by investigating the correlation between chronological age and pulp–tooth volume ratios in three types of anterior teeth using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in the Western Chinese population. Three hundred and ninety-two CBCT images of 207 female and 185 male individuals, aged between 16 to 76 years were evaluated. Mimics software was used to calculate the pulp–tooth volume ratios (PTVR) from CBCT images. Regression analysis was conducted with chronological age as a dependent variable and PTVR as an independent variable to establish a mathematical model for age estimation. The mean absolute error (MAE) was calculated to evaluate the accuracy of the regression model using an independent validation sample. Among the three types of anterior teeth, the left maxillary lateral incisor provides the most accurate age prediction for males (MAE = 6.804), and the left maxillary central incisor gave the most accurate results for females (MAE = 6.104). The statistical analysis also found gender differences exist in the PTVR for three types of anterior teeth. This study revealed that gender and tooth type specific equations are recommended when using the PTVR for age estimation.