Age estimation for children and young adults by volumetric analysis of upper anterior teeth using cone-beam computed tomography data

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between chronological age and the pulp/tooth volume ratio (PTR) of specific teeth using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) enhanced with Materialise-Mimics Research software 21.0 in children and young adult population from Eastern China. Materials and methods: CBCT scans of 230 patients (119 males, 111 females), aged 8.18-19.92 years were analysed by two well-trained examiners in this retrospective study. The intraclass correlation coefficient value was calculated to test the intra- and inter-examiner agreement. The volumetric analysis of the pulp and calcified tissues was performed on the maxillary left central incisors and canines. The correlation and regression analyses were then performed. Results: The Pearson correlation analysis showed a strong coefficient of correlation (r) for maxillary left canines (-0.81 for girls and -0.88 for boys) as compared to central incisors (-0.63 for girls and -0.70 for boys). Regarding performance, the canine model was more powerful than the central incisor model. The derived regression equation from maxillary left canines had high coefficients of determination (Age = 21.979 - 105.42 x PTR, R-2 = 0.69). Conclusions: Our study proved that the PTR value of canines had a negative correlation relationship with a subadult's chronological age and volumetric analysis of CBCT scans using the software may become an efficient method to estimate the chronological age of children and young adults.