Forensic Dental Age Estimation of Sub-Adult Individuals Using Nolla’s Radiographic Method: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

• Main Authors: Jagmahender Singh Sehrawat, Monika Singh, Vishal Sharma
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Paulista de Estudos Bioéticos e Jurídicos 2016-10-01
• Series: Brazilian Journal of Forensic Sciences, Medical Law and Bioethics
• Subjects: Forensic anthropology; Age estimation; Nolla’s radiographic method; Dental developmental stage; Meta-analysis
• Online Access: https://www.ipebj.com.br/bjfs/index.php/bjfs/article/view/616

Nolla’s radiographic method of dental age estimation for sub-adult individuals has been commonly used for forensic purposes. To identify the accuracy and credibility of this method, a review has been conducted for estimating the variations/discrepancies between actual chronological and estimated ages of sub-adults individuals calculated by applying Nolla’s radiographic method in different population groups. The articles using Nolla’s method of age estimation and those published between 2006 and 2016 were used after relevant searches in PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, COCHRANE and Web of Science databases. Studies conducted with dental radiographs of healthy subjects between 3 and 18 years of age and those reporting mean differences between the estimated dental age (DA) and chronological age (CA) as a measure of variation were included in the review for meta-analysis.  A total of 5813 subjects (2839 boys and 2974 girls) between the age of 3 and 18 years were examined in the study, which were chosen from a total of 87 peer-reviewed articles. Quantitative (10 studies) and qualitative (12 studies) analyses of the results revealed that dental age of most sub-adults was found under-estimated using this method based developmental stages of teeth. The underestimation varied from +0.26 to +1 years for males, and +0.051 to +1.15  for females; with an average mean of 0.35 years and 0.20 years for males and females, respectively. Thus, it can be concluded that Nolla’s method of dental age estimation underestimates the age of an individual in almost all the studies reviewed here. It should be carefully applied for forensic cases requiring legal scrutiny by courts of law.