Validation and Comparsion of the Demirjian Method and Alqahtani Method in Pedatric Population of Sahibabad Region

Abstract

Introduction: Age estimation plays a significant role in crime investigation, genetic research, and human identification. It is a vital technique in the field of forensic sciences. Most widely used, Demirjian’s technique is a scoring standard based on maturation stages of seven permanent teeth in the lower left quadrant. Alqahtani’s approach uses panoramic or lateral oblique radiographs for age estimation. Both these methods have various advantages and disadvantages. In order to reduce the bias amongst different modalities of age assessment our study compares the accuracy of dental age assessment by using these two systems. Materials and methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted on selected 100 Orthopantomogram (OPG) radiographs of children between 3 and 13 years of age of Sahibabad region. The same set of radiographs were used in the calculation of age using the two methods (Demirjian’s method and Alqahtani’s method) and the child’s chronological age was also calculated. Statistical analysis: Paired t-test was applied to find out the mean difference between chronological age and Alqahtani age and also between the chronological and Demirjian age. One way ANOVA test was applied to know the difference between the chronological age, Demirjian age and Alqahtani age. Results: The mean difference between the chronological age and Alqahtani age and between the chronological and Demirjian age was statistically significant among males (P=0.0001). The mean difference between chronological and alqhatani age was statistically significant (P=0.003). While between the chronological and demirjian age, it was not found to be statistically significant among females (P=0.252). When the three age estimation methods were compared, there was no significant difference (P=0.100). Conclusion: The Demirjian’s method and the Al-Qahtani could accurately estimate the actual age of the patient. Instead of only using Demirjian method for age estimation, Alqahtani’s method must also be given equal importance since it is equally efficient.