Sharad Vaidya; Nitin Ahuja; Puneet Bajaj; Charu Kapoor; Robin Sabarwal; Karan Rajpal

doi:10.4103/0975-1475.172414

Authors

Sharad Vaidya Department of Prosthodontics and Implantology, Himachal Dental College, Sundernagar, Himachal Pradesh
Nitin Ahuja Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Manav Rachna Dental College, Faridabad, Haryana
Puneet Bajaj Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Bhojia Dental College, Budd, Baddi, Dist. Solan, Himachal Pradesh
Charu Kapoor Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Bhojia Dental College, Budd, Baddi, Dist. Solan, Himachal Pradesh
Robin Sabarwal Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, Bhojia Dental College, Budd, Baddi, Dist. Solan, Himachal Pradesh
Karan Rajpal Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, D. J. College of Dental Sciences and Research, Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4103/0975-1475.172414

Keywords:

Age estimation, color, enamel, shade guide

Abstract

Introduction : Age estimation is an important subspecialty of forensic medicine. Dental hard tissues are highly resistant to degradation and putrefaction. Enamel is translucent and varies in color from light yellow to grey white . The color of the teeth has been reported to be affected by chronological age. Enamel color may also depend on environmental factors viz. diet, occupational habits, vitamin deficiencies, fluoride level in drinking water etc., It has been found that color changes in dentin vary from white to yellow. Studies have been done to measure the dentin color for age estimation. Aim : To find a correlation between the enamel color and chronological age and secondly to estimate the age of an individual from enamel color. Material and Methods: A total of 300 patients visiting the outpatient department of oral medicine and radiology were selected. Out of those, 150 were men and 150 women. The patients were divided into V groups based on the age. A thorough case history was taken for all the patients. Maxillary Central and Lateral incisor was used for the estimation of shade. The enamel color was evaluated using a VITA classical shade guide. Statistical Analysis: Data were exported to an Excel spread sheet and statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS. Linear regression analysis was used to find correlations between age and enamel shade. Results : In the group 1 and 2 i.e. from 15 to 36 years, the shades A 2 and B 2 (reddish hue) was found to be most common. While in the group 3 and 4, shades ranged from A 3 to B 3 (brownish to yellowish hue). In the patients above 59 years i.e. group 5 the enamel shade with greyish hue was found to be most common. Conclusion: Age determination using enamel color can be tried in forensic cases in the identification of individuals with no birth records.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Rothwell BR. Principles of dental identification. Dent Clin North Am 2001;45:2253‑70.

Willems G. A review of the most commonly used dental age estimation techniques. J Forensic Odontostomatol 2001;19:9‑17.

Lieberman D. The biological basis for seasonal increments in dental cementum and their application to archaeological research. J Archaeol Sci 1994;21:525‑39.

Tencate A. The estimation of age of skeletal remains from color of roots of teeth. J Can Dent Assoc 1977;2:83‑6.

Aggarwal P, Suxena S, Bansal P. Incremental lines in root cementum of human teeth: An approach to their role in age estimation using polarising microscopy. Indian J Dent Res 2008;19:326‑30.

Atsu SS1, Aka PS, Kucukesmen HC, Kilicarslan MA, Atakan C. Age‑related changes in tooth enamel as measured by electron microscopy: Implications for porcelain laminate veneers. J Prosthetic Dent 2005;94:336‑41.

Heras SM, Valenzuela A, Bellini R, Salas C, Rubino M, Garcia JA. Objective measurement of dental colour for age estimation by spectroradiometry. Forensic Sci Int 2003;132:57‑62.

Nanci A. Tencate’s oral histology: Development, structure and function. 6th ed. New Delhi: Elsevier; 2003.

Goodkind RJ, Schwabacher WB. Use of a fiber‑optic color meter for in vivo color measurements of 2830 anterior teeth. J Prosthet Dent1987;58:535542.

Chu S, Devigus A, Mieleszko M. Fundamentals of color shade matching and communication in esthetic dentistry. China: Quintessence Publishing Co, Inc.; 2004.

Shafer, Hine, Levy. Shafer’s Textbook of Oral Pathology. 5th ed. New Delhil: Elsevier; 2006.

Kavaal S, Solheim T. Fluorescence from dentin and cementum in human mandibular second premolars and its relation to age. Scand J Dent Res 1989;97:131‑8.

Goodkind RJ, Schwabacher WB. Use of a fiber‑optic colorimeter for in vivo color measurements of 2830 anterior teeth, J. Prosthet Dent 1987;58:535‑41.

Bhussry BR, Emmel V. Changes in the nitrogen content of enamel with age. J Dent Res 34 1955;34:627.

Tsuchiya K. A colorimetric study of anterior teeth, Shikwa Gakuho 1973;73:87‑120.

Solheim T. Dental color as an indicator of age, Scand J Dent Res 1988;97:189‑97.

Muia PJ. The four dimensional tooth color system. Chicago: Quintessence Publishing Co., Inc.; 1985.