Digital Methods of Dental Age Assessment
摘要
Dental age estimation (DAE) is an essential forensic procedure for legal age verification and anthropological study. The tooth has been designated as a reliable marker of age in both young and adult populations. The revolutionary advancement of digital imaging in the past decades has greatly enhanced the precision, reproducibility, and reliability of DAE procedures. This chapter focuses on contemporary digital methods of DAE, with an emphasis on open apex, pulp-to-tooth ratio (PTR), and root dentin translucency (RDT) methods. It discusses the biological basis, methodology, population-specific calibration, and integration of these methods with advanced imaging modalities such as radiovisiographs (RVG), orthopantomograms (OPG), and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), and image processing software. This chapter highlights the future potential of digital dental technology in forensic dentistry and dental anthropology by contrasting traditional methods with developing digital workflows.