Assessment of Dental Age Using CBCT-Based Pulp/Tooth Volume Ratio of Mandibular Premolars in Odisha Population for Forensic Age Estimation - An In vitro Study

Background: Age is the prime factor in the identification of the individual. Among the age estimation methods, dental age estimation from the volume ratios of tooth and pulp is gaining importance due to its accuracy. Objective: To assess the dental age using the ratio of pulp volume (PV) and tooth volume (TV) of extracted mandibular premolars using CBCT and to correlate with chronological age. Methods: Mandibular premolars extracted for orthodontic and periodontic purposes were collected and prepared for CBCT exposure. The data obtained was analyzed using ITK SNAP for manual segmentation. Linear regression analysis was performed separately for the first and second premolars. Pearson's correlation was used to correlate dental age and odontological parameters with chronological age. Results: Statistical analysis of the data yielded the following equation: estimated age = 76.42-817.4*PV/TV of the first premolar and 75.11-758.94*PV/TV of the second premolar. The coefficient of determination (R-2) was 0.908 and 0.755, respectively. Conclusion: Predicted age from the volumes of first mandibular premolars is more accurate producing reliable estimates with chronological age.