The evaluation of two radiographic methods for age determination of children in an Indian population
B. Rai
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the applicability of the methods proposed by Nolla7 and Nicodemo9 for estimation of dental age and its correction with chronological age. Orthopantograms of 413 patients, aged 6-16 year (70-195 months) were selected to estimate the correlation between dental and chronological age. With both the Nolla and Nicodemo methods, the estimated age was lower than compared to chronological age except for the Nolla method in girls. There were significant correlations between chronological and estimated dental age (by Nolla and Nicodemo methods) in both genders
(J Forensic Odontostomatol 2008;26:30-33)
Two positive identifications assessed with occasional dental findings on non-dental X-rays
V. Pinchi & G. Zei
The cases reported here show typical difficulties of dental identification procedure in the face of a lack of AM data for the missing person and an almost edentulous mouth in the body. In the first case the image of an included third molar found in an AM CT of the skull represented the decisive evidence for identifying the corpse; the identification of the body in the second case was possible only for an oversight of the radiologist during the performance of AM x-rays. They offer the occasion to describe the decisive importance of some occasional dental findings on non-dental x-rays and to stress the need of a comprehensive AM data collection and of a truly multidisciplinary approach to the collection and examination of x-rays. Furthermore, the cases underline that some radiographic features require skill, not only to be interpreted but also to be recognized
(J Forensic Odontostomatol 2008;26:34-38)
How old am I? Age estimation in living adults: A case report
C. Cattaneo, D. De Angelis, M. Ruspa. D. Gibelli, R. Cameriere, M. Grandi
Age estimation is a common task in forensic medicine. Odontologists are frequently involved in the age assessment of human remains or living juveniles. The need to estimate the age of living individuals is becoming more frequent, because of the increasing number of immigrants (illegal or otherwise) without acceptable identification documents and with missing or uncertain birth dates. Whereas age estimation in subadults is usually performed by methods based on the physiological growth of bones and teeth, in the case of living adults age determination is more difficult, because body maturation has come to an end and the most commonly used procedures in forensics on human remains are too invasive for the living individual. The following case report aims at highlighting the difficulties of performing age estimation in the living adult and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach including forensic odontology: a middle-aged woman from Ethiopia who was supposed to be 62 years old (according to one set of documents), was removed from employment lists as she had reached the retirement age for Italy. However another set of documents indicated a younger age (46 years). Hormonal dosage of E2 (17-β estradiol) and FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) showed an age close to the begininng of menopause. An experimental dental method, based on the decrease of canine pulp chamber with age, was performed in order to obtain more information: the result was an estimation of a 47-57 age range. Combined results suggested that it was more likely that the actual age of the woman was closer to 46 than to 62
(J Forensic Odontostomatol 2008;26:39-43)
Cheiloscopy as an adjunct to forensic identification: A study of 600 individuals
J. Augustine, S.R. Bapande, J.V. Tupkari
Cheiloscopy deals with examination of system of furrows on the red part of human lips. The present study was undertaken to classify lip prints, study their variations, determine the most common pattern in the study population, evaluate differences in lip prints between males and females and between different age groups, ascertain whether there is any hereditary pattern and thereby investigate their potential role in personal identification. Lip prints of 600 individuals, including 52 families, of ages ranging from 3 to 83 years were obtained using lipstick and two kinds of adhesive tape. The lip prints were analyzed using Adobe® Photoshop® software and classified according to Tsuchihashi classification. Patterns of lip prints occurred in diverse combinations. The patterns were similar between males and females and varied among different age groups. Some hereditary resemblance was observed between parents and offspring. Lip prints have a good potential for use in criminal investigations. They have been used only occasionally despite their frequent occurrence at crime scenes. A place for cheiloscopy is recommended within the scope of forensic odontostomatology, along with other means of forensic identification
(J Forensic Odontostomatol 2008;26:44-52)
Are dental indexes useful in sex assessment?
A.B. Acharya, S. Mainali
This study describes sexual dimorphism in dental indexes derived from the permanent dentition. Three dental indices⎯‘crown area,’ ‘crown module’ and ‘crown index’⎯were calculated from the buccolingual (BL) and mesiodistal (MD) measurements of 123 permanent dentitions (58 females and 65 males) belonging to young Nepalese adults (age-range 19–28 years). Sex differences in the dental indexes were assessed using univariate and multivariate statistics and compared to that of linear measurements reported previously on the same sample. Univariate sex dimorphism exhibited by crown area and crown module was similar to that of linear measurements whereas crown index displayed marked variation. The unusual results shown by the latter is explained as the result of it not being a representation of tooth size per se; rather, crown index is an expression of the difference between BL and MD dimensions and may be better suited as an indicator of tooth ‘shape’. Stepwise discriminant analyses undertaken for the indices gave moderate to high accuracy rates in sexing (69.8–81.1%). However, this is lower to the classification accuracy reported for linear measurements. Therefore, it is concluded that dental indexes have no added utility in forensic sex assessment