Can canines alone be used for age estimation in Chinese individuals when applying the Kvaal method?
Due to the secondary dentin formation, the dental pulp undergoes changes in shape throughout life. Based on this phenomenon, the Kvaal method has been applied to various populations for age estimation, and its usefulness has been verified. When applying the Kvaal method to Chinese subjects, we obser...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Oxford University Press
2020-03-01
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| Series: | Forensic Sciences Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20961790.2020.1717029 |
| _version_ | 1827884826548502528 |
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| author | Mujia Li Jiamin Zhao Wenjie Chen Xin Chen Guang Chu Teng Chen Yucheng Guo |
| author_facet | Mujia Li Jiamin Zhao Wenjie Chen Xin Chen Guang Chu Teng Chen Yucheng Guo |
| author_sort | Mujia Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Due to the secondary dentin formation, the dental pulp undergoes changes in shape throughout life. Based on this phenomenon, the Kvaal method has been applied to various populations for age estimation, and its usefulness has been verified. When applying the Kvaal method to Chinese subjects, we observed a relatively strong correlation between mandibular canines and age. This study notes the correlation between canines and chronological age and is the first to identify which canine is most closely related to chronological age. In addition, a new, simpler formula is determined based on canines according to Kvaal’s methodology. The radiographs of 360 individuals from northern China were selected, from which the widths and lengths of the pulp from four canines were measured according to the Kvaal method. Next, inter- and intra-observer reliabilities were analyzed in order to assess the repeatability of these measurements. The correlation between measurements and age was examined, and Chinese-specific age estimation formulae were derived. The results revealed that the ratios from the left maxillary canine exhibited the strongest correlation with age compared to the other canines, whereas the left mandibular canine showed the weakest correlation, which may contribute to the overall poor correlation of mandibular canines with age. What’s more, the formula derived from the left maxillary canine in this study displayed the highest coefficients of determination, and the formula derived from all canines showed the lowest residuals. Both of these formulae performed better than the Chinese-specific formula derived from six different types of teeth in our previous study, which had formerly possessed the highest coefficients of determination and the lowest residuals. Thus, we concluded that canines do play an important role in age estimation in the Chinese population, and the correlation between maxillary canines and chronological age is stronger than that of mandibular canines, although no distinct trend as to which side is better correlated with age was established. Going forward, we recommend the analysis of additional samples from different geographical regions and populations to further verify the importance of canines in age estimation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T19:36:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-72262117dc0a47679a82c1d0269dcd80 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2096-1790 2471-1411 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T19:36:30Z |
| publishDate | 2020-03-01 |
| publisher | Oxford University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forensic Sciences Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-72262117dc0a47679a82c1d0269dcd802023-08-02T04:10:05ZengOxford University PressForensic Sciences Research2096-17902471-14112020-03-01001610.1080/20961790.2020.17170291717029Can canines alone be used for age estimation in Chinese individuals when applying the Kvaal method?Mujia Li0Jiamin Zhao1Wenjie Chen2Xin Chen3Guang Chu4Teng Chen5Yucheng Guo6Xi’an Jiaotong UniversityXi’an Jiaotong UniversityXi’an Jiaotong UniversityXi’an Jiaotong UniversityXi’an Jiaotong UniversityXi’an Jiaotong University Health Science CenterXi’an Jiaotong UniversityDue to the secondary dentin formation, the dental pulp undergoes changes in shape throughout life. Based on this phenomenon, the Kvaal method has been applied to various populations for age estimation, and its usefulness has been verified. When applying the Kvaal method to Chinese subjects, we observed a relatively strong correlation between mandibular canines and age. This study notes the correlation between canines and chronological age and is the first to identify which canine is most closely related to chronological age. In addition, a new, simpler formula is determined based on canines according to Kvaal’s methodology. The radiographs of 360 individuals from northern China were selected, from which the widths and lengths of the pulp from four canines were measured according to the Kvaal method. Next, inter- and intra-observer reliabilities were analyzed in order to assess the repeatability of these measurements. The correlation between measurements and age was examined, and Chinese-specific age estimation formulae were derived. The results revealed that the ratios from the left maxillary canine exhibited the strongest correlation with age compared to the other canines, whereas the left mandibular canine showed the weakest correlation, which may contribute to the overall poor correlation of mandibular canines with age. What’s more, the formula derived from the left maxillary canine in this study displayed the highest coefficients of determination, and the formula derived from all canines showed the lowest residuals. Both of these formulae performed better than the Chinese-specific formula derived from six different types of teeth in our previous study, which had formerly possessed the highest coefficients of determination and the lowest residuals. Thus, we concluded that canines do play an important role in age estimation in the Chinese population, and the correlation between maxillary canines and chronological age is stronger than that of mandibular canines, although no distinct trend as to which side is better correlated with age was established. Going forward, we recommend the analysis of additional samples from different geographical regions and populations to further verify the importance of canines in age estimation.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20961790.2020.1717029forensic sciencesforensic odontologyage estimationcaninesecondary dentinekvaal methodchinese subjects |
| spellingShingle | Mujia Li Jiamin Zhao Wenjie Chen Xin Chen Guang Chu Teng Chen Yucheng Guo Can canines alone be used for age estimation in Chinese individuals when applying the Kvaal method? Forensic Sciences Research forensic sciences forensic odontology age estimation canine secondary dentine kvaal method chinese subjects |
| title | Can canines alone be used for age estimation in Chinese individuals when applying the Kvaal method? |
| title_full | Can canines alone be used for age estimation in Chinese individuals when applying the Kvaal method? |
| title_fullStr | Can canines alone be used for age estimation in Chinese individuals when applying the Kvaal method? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Can canines alone be used for age estimation in Chinese individuals when applying the Kvaal method? |
| title_short | Can canines alone be used for age estimation in Chinese individuals when applying the Kvaal method? |
| title_sort | can canines alone be used for age estimation in chinese individuals when applying the kvaal method |
| topic | forensic sciences forensic odontology age estimation canine secondary dentine kvaal method chinese subjects |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20961790.2020.1717029 |
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