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Does age estimated from teeth forming in different early life periods show differential discrepancy with known age?
Author(s) -
Nelson Jennifer S.,
Harrington Lesley,
Holland Emily,
Cardoso Hugo F. V.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
american journal of human biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.559
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1520-6300
pISSN - 1042-0533
DOI - 10.1002/ajhb.23577
Subject(s) - deciduous teeth , dentition , permanent teeth , deciduous dentition , deciduous , age groups , permanent dentition , dentistry , orthodontics , demography , medicine , biology , botany , sociology
Objectives The aim of this study is to explore growth discrepancies in the dentition of impoverished children and examine how dental development is impacted by environmental influences throughout childhood, thereby identifying which teeth are more sensitive to the effects of biocultural factors and are consequently less useful to predict age. Methods Length measurements of developing teeth (deciduous and permanent) were taken from individuals of known age and sex ( n = 61) from the Certosa collection, a 19th century skeletal assemblage representing Italian children of low socioeconomic status. Discrepancies between age estimates based on tooth length and chronological age were calculated, and the accuracy and precision of age prediction between earlier forming teeth and later forming teeth were compared. Results Deciduous teeth produced more precise dental age estimates (mean age discrepancy −0.092 years), while discrepancies between chronological age and age based on developing permanent dentition were larger (−0.628 years). The difference between these discrepancies in age estimates for deciduous and permanent teeth was significant ( p < 0.001), indicating that age prediction from deciduous tooth length is more accurate than age predicted using permanent tooth length. Conclusion An increasing variation and delay in tooth length for age reflects increasing susceptibility to biocultural factors, which impacts tooth growth during the course of childhood. Teeth whose development occurs earlier in life are less variable in their growth and provide more accurate estimations of age as a result.