Ethical issues in age assessment by the third molar development

Abstract

ABSTRACT According to international regulations, unaccompanied minor status determination implies a different set of rights, needs and entitlements than migrant adults. In forensic scenarios, the age assessment of refugee and asylum seekers who do not have reliable documentation is based on the application of different medical and non-medical methods. A multidisciplinary and holistic approach based on a gradual implementation of these methods is recommended worldwide. Many healthcare professionals consider medical age assessment, especially when performed through radiology, highly intrusive and ethically questionable because it is conducted without medical or therapeutic benefits. About dental examination, the evaluation of the third molar development can provide very useful information on the crucial age limit of 18 years. Demirjian’s scoring system and the third molar maturity index (I3 M) developed by Cameriere et al. (2008) are the two most common quantitative methods for dental age estimation. An ethical evaluation of the dental age estimation performed by these radiological methods through the four principles of biomedical ethics (autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice) is discussed here.