Estimation of dental age in a sample of Colombian population using the London Atlas

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the London Atlas for dental age estimation in the Colombian population. Materials and methodsThe study sample included 580 panoramic radiographs of healthy patients (304 female and 276 male) that had attended an orthodontic clinic in two cities between January 1, 2016, and March 30, 2019. The range of ages of the individuals was between 6 and 23.99 years old. Patients with a history of dentoalveolar injury or trauma, unclear or distorted panoramic radiographs were excluded from the study. Intra and inter-observer errors were determined using the Cohen's Kappa index by taking 40 radiographs and evaluating them in two stages with a time interval of 15 days between the two stages. The estimated age was compared with the chronological age using a paired t-test. ResultsCohen's Kappa test showed a strong agreement (0.82 and 0.84). The greatest difference was at the age of 23 years (−1.93 years); the lowest differences were found in the age groups of 7 and 8 years. The results of this study showed a tendency to underestimate age (negative differences) in ages younger than 11 years and older than 21 years, in the other groups, there was an overestimation (positive differences). There were no significant differences in the accuracy of the estimate in terms of men and women. ConclusionThe London Atlas of Age Estimation worked well for certain age groups. It is not recommended when the third molar is the only tooth to be evaluated.