Abstract
Objective: To analyse the opening diameter of incisive foramen as a parameter for gender and age estimation by using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Material and Methods: After approval by the local research ethics committee, CBCT images were obtained from the dental database of a diagnostic centre and then selected. Images suggesting presence of periapical lesions and periodontal changes were excluded, as well as those of patients undergoing orthodontic treatment, with trauma to the mid-facial third, with cleft/lip palate, cranial or syndromic morphological changes, or even absence of one of the upper incisors. The images of male and female patients were distributed according to age groups (i.e. 10-30 years, 31-50 years, and 51 years or older) and then assessed twice and independently by three surgeon-dentists with experience in radiology by means of the XoranCat® software. The resulting data were tabulated and statistically analysed by using the SAS® software (version 2003) – PROC GLM for mixed generalised models – and Tukey’s test for comparison of the mean values at 5% significance level. Results: Considering the methodology used, the results have demonstrated no statistically significant difference in the method for gender estimation. However, it was observed that there was a gradual increase in the mean values as the age advances in the majority of the age groups for both males and females, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05) regarding age estimation. Conclusion: The use of incisive foramen as a gender parameter has had a limited forensic value, but it is an innovative approach in the process of age estimation.KeywordsDentistry; Human identification; Anatomy; Computed tomography.
Highlights
Forensic dentistry comprises a primary method of human identification enabling one to scientifically support the identity of an unknown corpse mainly due to the uniqueness of the dental arches [1,2]
Research on forensic dentistry and anthropology have associated the use of image technology to the study of bone anatomy for obtaining clues which can guide the estimation of gender and age in such situations [6,7,8]
All the images had been acquired with a cone beam computed tomography equipment (GXCB-500TM, powered by i-CAT®) operating at field of view (FoV) of 16x6.0 cm and voxel size of 0.25 millimeter
Summary
Forensic dentistry comprises a primary method of human identification enabling one to scientifically support the identity of an unknown corpse mainly due to the uniqueness of the dental arches [1,2]. In the process of human identification, the determination of gender and age is a key step for establishing a biological profile, which is essential to reduce the sample to a lower number of possible identities [5,6] This procedure is challenged with situations in which there are a few bone fragments or remnants of pelvis or skull [3,5,6]. In this context, research on forensic dentistry and anthropology have associated the use of image technology to the study of bone anatomy for obtaining clues which can guide the estimation of gender and age in such situations [6,7,8]. CBCT has been widely used as it allows three-dimensional visualisation of the anatomical shape, relationship and position of a series of bone structures and cavities by providing detailed images with minimum distortion, which enables a more reliable study of the bone morphology and morphometry [2,3,6]
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