Age Estimation Error Research Articles

Legal framework and current techniques for age estimation in puppy trade

Dog breeding and dog trade are strictly regulated by EU-legislation, as well as by national and regional legislations. Nevertheless, it is believed that part of the puppies traded within the EU are younger than the legal minimum age, with the risk of compromising their own health and wellbeing as well as public health. A proper age determination is necessary to expose potential malpractices. Combining multiple independent methods is essential to compensate for possible variations in one single estimation method. Assessment of the dental age and bone age, more specifically by evaluating the eruption status of the dentition and the radiographic appearance and formation of ossification centers are both eligible. However, current available data are not detailed enough. In order to improve the accuracy and reduce the error in age estimation, more breed specific data are required, more intermediate development stages must be described and possible developmental disorders and pathologies must be considered.

Improved Age Estimation Mechanism from Medical Data Based on Deep Instance Weighting Fusion

Age estimation is very useful in the fields of pattern recognition and data mining, especially for medical problems. The current methods of age estimation do not consider the relationships among instances, especially the internal hierarchical structure, which limits the potential improvement of the age estimation error. A deep age estimation mechanism based on deep instance weighting fusion is proposed to solve this problem. First, an iterative means clustering (IMC) algorithm is designed to construct the hierarchical instance space (multiplelayer instance space) and obtain multiple trained regression models. Second, a deep instance weighting fusion (DIWF) mechanism is designed to fuse the results from the trained regression models to produce the final results. The experimental results show that the mean absolute error (MAE) of the estimated ages can be decreased significantly on two publicly available data sets, with relative gains of 4.97% and 0.8% on the Heart Disease Data Set and Diabetes Mellitus Data Set, respectively. Additionally, some factors that may influence the performance of the proposed mechanism are studied. In general, the proposed age estimation mechanism is effective. In addition, the mechanism is not a concrete algorithm but framework algorithm (or mechanism), and can be used to generate various concrete age estimation algorithms, so the mechanism is helpful for related studies.

Development and validation of forensically useful growth models for Central European population of Creophilus maxillosus L. (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)

The hairy rove beetle, Creophilus maxillosus (Linnaeus) (Staphylinidae), is recognized for its use in forensic entomology. However, insufficient developmental data exist for the Central European population of this species. Accordingly, we studied the development of C. maxillosus at ten constant temperatures (10–32.5 °C). Based on these results, linear and nonlinear developmental models were created and validated. We also studied the effect of different homogenous diets (third-instar larvae or puparia of Calliphora sp. Robineau-Desvoidy or Lucilia sp. Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Calliphoridae) or mix of first- and second-instar larvae of Necrodes littoralis (Linnaeus) (Coleoptera: Silphidae)) on the development and mortality of C. maxillosus. Average total development times ranged between 122.21 days at 15 °C and 22.18 days at 30 °C. Beetles reached the adult stage in seven out of ten temperatures (15–30 °C). No beetles reached the adult stage when fed with larvae of N. littoralis; their development times at first and second larval stage were also significantly longer than in other food conditions. When C. maxillosus larvae were fed with blowfly larvae, the highest mortality was observed at the pupal stage, as compared when they were fed with blowfly puparia—at the first larval stage. While validating thermal summation models, the highest age estimation errors were found for beetles bred at 10 and 12.5 °C (between 21 and 43% for all developmental events). Age estimation errors were on average higher for pupation and eclosion than hatching and first and second ecdyses. While validating the models with specimens fed with different diets, the highest errors were recorded for beetles fed with N. littoralis larvae (22% for the first ecdysis and 33% for the second ecdysis) and Lucilia sp. puparia (32% for pupation and 22% for eclosion). Implications for C. maxillosus use in forensic entomology are discussed.Key Points• Development of the Central European population of C. maxillosus was studied at ten constant temperatures and using different homogenous diets.• Thermal summation models were validated with insects reared at different temperatures and fed with different diets.• Total development times ranged between 122 days at 15 °C and 22 days at 30 °C. Beetles reached the adult stage in seven temperatures (15–30 °C).• The highest age estimation errors were found for beetles bred at 10 and 12.5 °C (21–43%) and for beetles fed with Necrodes littoralis larvae (22–33%).• The lowest mortality was observed for beetles fed with Calliphora sp. and Lucilia sp. larvae. Estimation errors were generally low for beetles fed with blowfly larvae or Calliphora sp. puparia.

Age and growth of stocked juvenile Shoal Bass in a tailwater: Environmental variation and accuracy of daily age estimates.

Otolith microanalysis is often used to assess population age structure and growth of fishes during their early stages. Shoal Bass Micropterus cataractae is a recently described species of conservation concern and little is known regarding factors affecting their recruitment. In 2004, Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GADNR) and the US National Park Service (NPS) stocked Shoal Bass marked with oxytetracycline (OTC) in the Chattahoochee River near Atlanta, Georgia in an effort to restore this population, creating known-age fish to examine the effect of environment on daily age accuracy. We obtained samples of stocked juvenile (<150 mm) Shoal Bass from standard monitoring that occurred approximately 30–60 days after stocking in the Chattahoochee River to 1) validate daily rings for estimating age, hatch dates, and growth rates for stocked age-0 Shoal Bass, and 2) evaluate the effect of habitat (location) on age bias. Shoal Bass otoliths were examined for OTC marks and daily rings were counted in reference to OTC marks to assess age estimation accuracy. Age estimation accuracy ranged from -2 to -25 days and was influenced by the environment where Shoal Bass were captured, with greater inaccuracy in colder water temperatures. Fish collected from locations with colder temperatures displayed closer spacing of daily rings, potentially leading to greater underestimation of age. Growth rates of stocked Shoal Bass, corrected for age estimation error, ranged from 0.5 mm/day to 0.8 mm/day. This study demonstrates the effect of environmental variability on age inaccuracy and subsequent interpretation of results. Incorporating methods to assess age estimation accuracy is needed to understand interspecific differences in recruitment among black bass species in the variety of natural and human-modified environments they inhabit.

Evaluation of age by Kvaal’s modified measurements (KMM) using computer-aided imaging software and digitized parameters

IntroductionIn the field of forensic science, identification of the unknown is the primary task to be done by forensic experts. Age assessment is one of the most important biological parameters of identification. The durability of teeth makes them one of the most suitable evidence for age estimation. AimThe present study was performed to develop and validate new teeth specific multiple regression models for age estimation based on Kvaal’s modified measurements (KMM) and to check whether this approach leads to statistically comparable and reproducible results or not. Material and MethodSample comprised of 1280 RVGs of 4 teeth per subject (maxillary canine, maxillary second premolar, mandibular canine, and mandibular first premolar) collected from 320 individuals (160 males and 160 females) having the age range 15–54 years. Thirteen radiographic measurements (3 vertical and 10 horizontal) were performed on all radiographs using computer-aided software (Adobe Photoshop). Various ratios from these vertical as well as horizontal measurements were calculated. These ratios were subjected to multiple regressions. Developed multiple regression models were validated for their accuracy on a different set of 80 RVGs obtained from another 20 subjects of known age. Comparative analysis was done to check the difference between the mean chronological age and estimated age. ResultsIt was found that the pulpal width showed a better correlation with the chronological age when contrasted with vertical ratios. The concordance correlation coefficient was used to check the intraobserver reproducibility of measurements. The multiple regression models were established. The determination coefficients (r2) of the models for all the studied tooth varies from 0.331 to 0.631 with SEE varies from 6.27 to 7.89 years. Results of the present study suggested a significant negative correlation between chronological age and variables. Maxillary second premolar demonstrated the most noteworthy value of r2. ConclusionThe results of the present study give an inference for the feasibility of this technique. Our study indicates that the width measurements are age-dependent variable in adults as these ratios showed a better correlation with age. High resolution of RVGs has improved the age estimation error rate.

Accuracy, precision, and error in age estimation of Florida manatees using growth layer groups in earbones.

Ages of Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) can be estimated by counting annual growth layer groups (GLGs) in the periotic dome portion of the tympanoperiotic complex of their earbones. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission manages an archive of more than 8,700 Florida manatee earbones collected from salvaged carcasses from 1989 to 2017. Our goal was to comprehensively evaluate techniques used to estimate age, given this large sample size and changes to processing protocols and earbone readers over time. We developed new standards for estimating ages from earbones, involving two independent readers to obtain measurements of within- and between-reader precision. To quantify accuracy, precision, and error, 111 earbones from manatees with approximately known ages (first known as calves: “KAC”) and 69 earbones from manatees with minimum known ages (“MKA,” based on photo-identification sighting histories) were processed, and their ages were estimated. There was greater precision within readers (coefficient of variation, CV: 2.4–8.5%) than between readers (CV: 13.1–13.3%). The median of age estimates fell within the true age range for 63.1% of KAC cases and was at least the sighting duration for 75.0% of MKA cases. Age estimates were generally unbiased, as indicated by an average raw error ± SD of −0.05 ± 3.05 years for the KAC group. The absolute error (i.e., absolute value of raw error) of the KAC data set averaged 1.75 ± 2.50 years. Accuracy decreased and error increased with increasing known age, especially for animals over 15 years old, whose ages were mostly underestimated due to increasing levels of resorption (the process of bone turnover that obscures GLGs). Understanding the degree of uncertainty in age estimates will help us assess the utility of age data in manatee population models. We emphasize the importance of standardizing and routinely reviewing age estimation and processing protocols to ensure that age data remain consistent and reliable.

The adequacy of aging techniques in vertebrates for rapid estimation of population mortality rates from age distributions.

As a key parameter in population dynamics, mortality rates are frequently estimated using mark–recapture data, which requires extensive, long‐term data sets. As a potential rapid alternative, we can measure variables correlated to age, allowing the compilation of population age distributions, from which mortality rates can be derived. However, most studies employing such techniques have ignored their inherent inaccuracy and have thereby failed to provide reliable mortality estimates. In this study, we present a general statistical model linking birth rate, mortality rate, and population age distributions. We next assessed the reliability and data needs (i.e., sample size) for estimating mortality rate of eight different aging techniques. The results revealed that for half of the aging techniques, correlations with age varied considerably, translating into highly variable accuracies when used to estimate mortality rate from age distributions. Telomere length is generally not sufficiently correlated to age to provide reliable mortality rate estimates. DNA methylation, signal‐joint T‐cell recombination excision circle (sjTREC), and racemization are generally more promising techniques to ultimately estimate mortality rate, if a sufficiently high sample size is available. Otolith ring counts, otolithometry, and age‐length keys in fish, and skeletochronology in reptiles, mammals, and amphibians, outperformed all other aging techniques and generated relatively accurate mortality rate estimation with a sample size that can be feasibly obtained. Provided the method chosen is minimizing and estimating the error in age estimation, it is possible to accurately estimate mortality rates from age distributions. The method therewith has the potential to estimate a critical, population dynamic parameter to inform conservation efforts within a limited time frame as opposed to mark–recapture analyses.

Errors as a primary cause of late-life mortality deceleration and plateaus.

Several organisms, including humans, display a deceleration in mortality rates at advanced ages. This mortality deceleration is sufficiently rapid to allow late-life mortality to plateau in old age in several species, causing the apparent cessation of biological ageing. Here, it is shown that late-life mortality deceleration (LLMD) and late-life plateaus are caused by common demographic errors. Age estimation and cohort blending errors introduced at rates below 1 in 10,000 are sufficient to cause LLMD and plateaus. In humans, observed error rates of birth and death registration predict the magnitude of LLMD. Correction for these sources of demographic error using a mixed linear model eliminates LLMD and late-life mortality plateaus (LLMPs) without recourse to biological or evolutionary models. These results suggest models developed to explain LLMD have been fitted to an error distribution, that ageing does not slow or stop during old age in humans, and that there is a finite limit to human longevity.

The impacts of underenumeration and age estimation error on the D0–14/D ratio and palaeodemographic measures

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impacts of infant and elderly underenumeration and age estimation error on previously reported measures derived from the D0–14/D ratio, specifically total fertility rate and the rate of natural increase. This study used data from the United Nations database for the year 1960. A two-step approach was taken: to test the stability of the relationship we examined the correlation between the D0–14/D ratio and population dynamics of interest with data omitted or misclassified to simulate a range of sample underrepresentation and age estimation error scenarios. To evaluate the practical implications, we used our existing equations to estimate total fertility and natural increase rates using the simulated differentially represented samples and calculated the standard error of the estimate. Correlations remained robust until a small number of infants and the elderly were represented. Where both infants and the elderly were underrepresented, as much as 75% of these age categories could be removed before accuracy of the equations was significantly compromised. Where either infant underenumeration or elderly underenumeration is suspected, our palaeodemographic measures maintain accuracy when up to 25% of the sample is missing. Age estimation error had a negligible impact. These measures demonstrated robusticity in a range of sample underenumeration scenarios, particularly for sources of bias that impact both infants and the elderly equally, and age estimation error. Where either infants or the elderly have been significantly underrepresented or omitted from the burial site, alternative measures may be required.

Two sources of bias explain errors in facial age estimation.

Accurate age estimates underpin our everyday social interactions, the provision of age-restricted services and police investigations. Previous work suggests that these judgements are error-prone, but the processes giving rise to these errors are not understood. Here, we present the first systematic test of bias in age estimation using a large database of standardized passport images of heterogeneous ages (n = 3948). In three experiments, we tested a range of perceiver age groups (n = 84), and found average age estimation error to be approximately 8 years. We show that this error can be attributed to two separable sources of bias. First, and accounting for the vast majority of variance, our results show an assimilative serial dependency whereby estimates are systematically biased towards the age of the preceding face. Second, younger faces are generally perceived to be older than they are, and older faces to be younger. In combination, these biases account for around 95% of variance in age estimates. We conclude that perception of age is modulated by representations that encode both a viewer's recent and normative exposure to faces. The finding that age perception is subject to strong top-down influences based on our immediate experience has implications for our understanding of perceptual processes involved in face perception, and for improving accuracy of age estimation in important real-world tasks.

An archival analysis of sexual assault victims’ age estimation accuracy when describing stranger offenders

ABSTRACTApproximately 10% of all serious sexual assaults in England and Wales involve victims and offenders who are strangers. The victims often estimate the stranger offender’s age during police interviews. These age estimations, if accurate, can help identify offenders. This archival analysis examined the accuracy of 546 stranger sexual assault victims’ age estimations. It also examined whether their accuracy can be predicted by victim age – offender age differences, victim age – offender estimated age differences, victim race – offender race differences, victim intoxication, victims’ duration of exposure to offenders, the time delay between assaults and age estimations, whether offenders have weapons, and whether offenders use sighting precautions. Amongst the descriptive findings, we found victims’ mean age estimation error was 4.78 years, the degree of over- and underestimation was equivalent, that only 12.5% of age estimations were within 0.99 years of an offender’s true age, but 90% were within 9.99 years of an offender’s true age. Only victim age – offender age differences and, importantly, victim age – offender estimated age differences predicted age estimation accuracy: as age differences decreased, accuracy increased. These findings can help predict stranger sexual assault victims’ age estimation accuracy in future cases.

A Study on the Asymmetry of the Human Left and Right Pubic Symphyseal Surfaces Using High-Definition Data Capture and Computational Shape Methods.

The pubic symphysis is among the most commonly used bilateral age indicators. Because of potential differences between right and left sides, it is necessary to investigate within-individual asymmetry, which can inflate age estimation error. This study uses 3D laser scans of paired pubic symphyses for 88 documented White males. Scan data are analyzed by numerical shape algorithms, proposed as an alternative to traditional visual assessment techniques. Results are used to quantify the within-individual asymmetry, evaluating if one side produces a better age-estimate. Relationships between the asymmetry and advanced age, weight, and stature are examined. This analysis indicates that the computational, shape-based techniques are robust to asymmetry (>80% of paired differences are within 10years and >90% are within 15years). For notably more asymmetric cases, differences in estimates are not associated with life history factors. Based on this study, either side can be used for age-at-death estimation by the computational methods.

Evaluation of the reliability of age estimation using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)

Introduction:Age estimation of individuals is one of the most important sub disciplines of forensic sciences and is of supreme importance in medicolegal issues. Aim: To estimate the age of individuals using three methods: Third molar calcification, height of the mandibular condyle and the length of the mandibular body and to compare the estimated age with the chronological age of the individual and also to identify the most reliable method for age estimation. Materials and methods:The CBCT scans of 100 patients (41 males and 59 females) were included in the study. The third molars were assessed and categorized using the modified Demirijian's chart. The length of the mandibular body was obtained by measuring the length between the Gonion (Go) and the Gnathion(Gn). The height of the condyle was obtained by measuring the distance between the maximum condylar height and the minimum height at the sigmoid notch. The values obtained were subjected to statistical analysis and age estimation formula for each parameter derived by simple linear regression analysis. Results: The standard error in age estimation with third molar calcification, length of mandibular body and height of condyle was 6.146, 7.511 and 7.504 years respectively. Among the three variables used third molar calcification showed least standard error (6.146 years). When compared across the gender, in females the dental parameter was more reliable in the 12-18-year age group and the skeletal parameters were more accurate in the above 18 age group whereas in contrast in males the height of condyle was reliable in the 12-18 age group whereas third molar calcification and length of the mandibular body was more accurate in the above 18 age group. Conclusion: With the number of samples analyzed and the results obtained, it can be concluded that the third molar calcification could be a comparatively reliable method for age estimation among the three parameters used.

Validity of Demirjian 8-teeth method for age estimation by orthopantomogram – A prospective study

Background: Demirjian et al. (1973) put forth a method of age prediction, which used seven mandibular teeth on the left side. The technique has been widely applied but revealed variations in age estimates in other populations, including Indians. The aims and objectives of our study were to validate the Demirjian 8-teeth method using orthopantomogram to estimate the reliability of age estimation after incorporating the third molar and to predict the accuracy of age estimation using Indian-specific formulae. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on the local population with 49 subjects (mean = 18, f = 31) less than 18 years of age. The soft copies of the radiographs of selected subjects were retrieved from the computer attached to the digital orthopantomogram machine (Orthophos XG5; Sirona Dental Systems). Staging of each tooth of left mandibular side was done using Demirjian 8-teeth method. Dental age was calculated using the modified formula given by Acharya et al. and statistical methods were used to compare it with chronological age. Results: The overall mean absolute error (MAE) of the 49 subjects was 0.911 ± 1.65. The highest MAE was in the 13-year age group (1.82 years) while it was lowest in the 18-year age group (0.43 ± 1.10 years). In all, 15 subjects (30.6%) had an error in age estimation which is less than 1 year and 12 subjects (24.5%) had an error of more than 2 years The accuracy of age estimation was found to be better in 16–18 years age group as compared to younger age group, probably because of better development of the third molar by this age. Conclusion: The reasonably good results obtained in this study assert the use of Demirjian's 8-teeth method with Indian cubic functions in the local population.

Favorable ecological circumstances promote life expectancy in chimpanzees similar to that of human hunter-gatherers

Demographic data on wild chimpanzees are crucial for understanding the evolution of chimpanzee and hominin life histories, but most data come from populations affected by disease outbreaks and anthropogenic disturbance. We present survivorship data from a relatively undisturbed and exceptionally large community of eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. We monitored births, deaths, immigrations, and emigrations in the community between 1995 and 2016. Using known and estimated ages, we calculated survivorship curves for the whole community, for males and females separately, and for individuals ≤2 years old when identified. We used a novel method to address age estimation error by calculating stochastic survivorship curves. We compared Ngogo life expectancy, survivorship, and mortality rates to those from other chimpanzee communities and human hunter-gatherers. Life expectancy at birth for both sexes combined was 32.8 years, far exceeding estimates of chimpanzee life expectancy in other communities, and falling within the range of human hunter-gatherers (i.e., 27–37 years). Overall, the pattern of survivorship at Ngogo was more similar to that of human hunter-gatherers than to other chimpanzee communities. Maximum lifespan for the Ngogo chimpanzees, however, was similar to that reported at other chimpanzee research sites and was less than that of human-hunter gatherers. The absence of predation by large carnivores may contribute to some of the higher survivorship at Ngogo, but this cannot explain the much higher survivorship at Ngogo than at Kanyawara, another chimpanzee community in the same forest, which also lacks large carnivores. Higher survivorship at Ngogo appears to be an adaptive response to a food supply that is more abundant and varies less than that of Kanyawara. Future analyses of hominin life history evolution should take these results into account.

Expression-Invariant Age Estimation Using Structured Learning.

In this paper, we investigate and exploit the influence of facial expressions on automatic age estimation. Different from existing approaches, our method jointly learns the age and expression by introducing a new graphical model with a latent layer between the age/expression labels and the features. This layer aims to learn the relationship between the age and expression and captures the face changes which induce the aging and expression appearance, and thus obtaining expression-invariant age estimation. Conducted on three age-expression datasets (FACES , Lifespan and NEMO ), our experiments illustrate the improvement in performance when the age is jointly learnt with expression in comparison to expression-independent age estimation. The age estimation error is reduced by 14.43, 37.75 and 9.30 percent for the FACES, Lifespan and NEMO datasets respectively. The results obtained by our graphical model, without prior-knowledge of the expressions of the tested faces, are better than the best reported ones for all datasets. The flexibility of the proposed model to include more cues is explored by incorporating gender together with age and expression. The results show performance improvements for all cues.

A Computational Framework for Age-at-Death Estimation from the Skeleton: Surface and Outline Analysis of 3D Laser Scans of the Adult Pubic Symphysis.

In forensic anthropology, age-at-death estimation typically requires the macroscopic assessment of the skeletal indicator and its association with a phase or score. High subjectivity and error are the recognized disadvantages of this approach, creating a need for alternative tools that enable the objective and mathematically robust assessment of true chronological age. We describe, here, three fully computational, quantitative shape analysis methods and a combinatory approach that make use of three-dimensional laser scans of the pubic symphysis. We report a novel age-related shape measure, focusing on the changes observed in the ventral margin curvature, and refine two former methods, whose measures capture the flatness of the symphyseal surface. We show how we can decrease age-estimation error and improve prior results by combining these outline and surface measures in two multivariate regression models. The presented models produce objective age-estimates that are comparable to current practices with root-mean-square-errors between 13.7 and 16.5 years.

Assessment of Demirjian's 8-teeth technique of age estimation and Indian-specific formulas in an East Indian population: A cross-sectional study.

Background:The age of an individual can be assessed by a plethora of widely available tooth-based techniques, among which radiological methods prevail. The Demirjian's technique of age assessment based on tooth development stages has been extensively investigated in different populations of the world.Aim:The present study is to assess the applicability of Demirjian's modified 8-teeth technique in age estimation of population of East India (Odisha), utilizing Acharya's Indian-specific cubic functions.Materials and Methods:One hundred and six pretreatment orthodontic radiographs of patients in an age group of 7–23 years with representation from both genders were assessed for eight left mandibular teeth and scored as per the Demirjian's 9-stage criteria for teeth development stages. Age was calculated on the basis of Acharya's Indian formula. Statistical analysis was performed to compare the estimated and actual age. All data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA) and MS Excel Package.Results:The results revealed that the mean absolute error (MAE) in age estimation of the entire sample was 1.3 years with 50% of the cases having an error rate within ± 1 year. The MAE in males and females (7–16 years) was 1.8 and 1.5, respectively. Likewise, the MAE in males and females (16.1–23 years) was 1.1 and 1.3, respectively.Conclusion:The low error rate in estimating age justifies the application of this modified technique and Acharya's Indian formulas in the present East Indian population.

Growth and annual survival estimates to examine the ecology of larval lamprey and the implications of ageing error in fitting models.

This study used existing western brook lamprey Lampetra richardsoni age information to fit three different growth models (i.e. von Bertalanffy, Gompertz and logistic) with and without error in age estimates. Among these growth models, there was greater support for the logistic and Gompertz models than the von Bertalanffy model, regardless of ageing error assumptions. The von Bertalanffy model, however, appeared to fit the data well enough to permit survival estimates; using length-based estimators, annual survival varied between 0·64 (95% credibility interval: 0·44-0·79) and 0·81 (0·79-0·83) depending on ageing and growth process error structure. These estimates are applicable to conservation and management of L. richardsoni and other western lampreys (e.g. Pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus) and can potentially be used in the development of life-cycle models for these species. These results also suggest that estimators derived from von Bertalanffy growth models should be interpreted with caution if there is high uncertainty in age estimates.

Dental age assessment in 6- to 14-year old German children: comparison of Cameriere and Demirjian methods.

BackgroundThe aim of the study was to compare two frequently used dental age estimation methods for accuracy.MethodsA total of 479 panoramic radiographs in age groups 6–14 years from a German population were evaluated. The dental age of 268 boys and 211 girls was assessed by means of the method of Demirjian (1973) and Cameriere (2006) and compared with their actual chronological age.ResultsDemirjan’s method showed an overestimation of dental age compared to chronological age in all age groups for boys (mean difference −0.16, p = 0.010, range −0.35 to 0.09), age group 9 showed an underestimation. Using the same method for girls (mean difference −0.18, p = 0.008, range −0.45 to 0.13), an overestimation could also be shown in all age groups except for age groups 8 and 13. Results for Cameriere’s method showed for boys (mean difference 0.07, p = 0.314, range −1.38 to 3.83) in age groups 6 to 11 an overestimation, but in age groups 12 to14 an underestimation. The results for girls (mean difference 0.08, p = 0.480, range −1.55 to 4.51) showed an overestimation for age groups from 6 to 10, and an underestimation in age groups 11 to 14.ConclusionsThe comparison shows an advantage of Demirjian’s method for both genders. While Cameriere’s method showed a higher inaccuracy in all age groups, Demirjian’s method showed more appropriate results for dental age estimation of the investigated German population. To avoid errors in forensic age estimation and to prevent misidentifications for defendants in criminal processes, further studies of more precise methods for age estimation for the German population are required.