Comparative evaluation of demirjian, nolla and cameriere methods for age determination for Turkish children in Ankara

The determination of age plays a crucial role in forensic medicine and clinical dentistry. Age estimation methods can vary among different populations. There is a need for studies evaluating age estimation methods to determine the most suitable method for the Turkish population, highlighting the differences among these methods and assisting future research. This thesis aims to assess the accuracy of Nolla, Demirjian, and Cameriere methods in a group of Turkish children in Ankara. This study was conducted on 510 boys and girls aged between 5 and 14 years who applied to the, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Faculty of Dentistry Department of Pediatric Dentistry, between August 2022 and November 2022. Age estimation based on panoramic radiographs was performed using Nolla, Demirjian, and Cameriere methods. In all three methods, except for the third molars, the seven permanent left mandibular teeth were used. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS V23. Statistical analysis included the Shapiro-Wilk test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, paired samples t-test, Wilcoxon test, repeated measures analysis of variance, Bonferroni correction, Friedman test, and Dunn test. The statistical significance level was set at p < 0.05. The mean chronological age of the children included in the panoramic radiographs was determined as 9.96 ± 2.87 years (9.96 ± 2.97 years in females, 9.96 ± 2.74 years in males). Median differences between dental age and chronological age without gender differentiation were 0.71 years in the Nolla method (0.53 years in females, 0.87 years in males), 1.07 years in the Demirjian method (1.03 years in females, 1.12 years in males), and -0.15 years in the Cameriere method ( -0.21 years in females, -0.06 years in males). In our study of children aged 5-14 in Ankara, the method that provided the closest age estimation to chronological age when an absolute difference value of 1 year was accepted had an accuracy rate of 75.1% and was the Cameriere method. The Nolla method ranked second (54.3%), and the Demirjian method ranked last (44.7%).