Age-related changes in crown and root length in Sri Lankan Sinhalese

Abstract

Exploration of the relationship between tooth dimensions, body size, and age is important in paleontology, forensic odontology and aesthetic dentistry. It is reasonable to speculate that tooth length is associated with stature since teeth contribute to facial height. This study aimed to determine whether there was an association between tooth length and stature and age in a sample of Sri Lankan Sinhalese. Extracted teeth of adults, whose age, sex and standing height were known, were used for measurements. The total tooth length (TTL), crown length (CL) and root length (RL) of permanent maxillary central (68) and lateral (67) incisors were measured using a caliper. Statistical analyses were performed with the software MINITAB version 14.0 (Minitab Inc, USA). Mean age and standing height were 47.81 yr and 152.15 cm, respectively. There was no significant correlation between stature and tooth lengths of incisors. However, age was found to have a significant correlation with RL, (r = 0.26, P < 0.05) and CL (r = -0.28, P < 0.05). Absence of an association between tooth length and stature indicated that the genetic linkage between tooth size and stature was weak, suggesting that determination of stature from tooth lengths is unwarranted. The association between tooth length and age indicates the importance of root length in age determination.