Coronal displacement of cementum in impacted teeth: As age marker

At the last summer Olympics there were disputes about the age of some athletes. This study shows a way of helping to determine the age of a person.

From the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine Volume 16, Issue 1, Pages 5-6 (January 2009)

Balwant Rai, BDS (Editor in Chief Internet Journal of Dental Science)
Abstract

Dental cementum is a vital tissue that demonstrates continuous apposition throughout the life of a tooth. This study was conducted on 130 impacted mandibular third molars extracted from healthy patients, aged between 18 and 38 years. The buccolingual ground sections were prepared and the distance between the edges of enamel and cementum were measured with micrometer attached to a light microscope. A significant correlation (r=0.56) between age and coronal displacement of cementum in impacted teeth was calculated and a regression equation was derived for age determination.

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