Dental age estimation methods tested in Pakistani Population – A scoping review of cross-sectional studies

Amber Khan; Bakhtawar Yaqoob; Ademir Franco

doi:10.14710/actodont.28788

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/actodont.28788

Dental age estimation methods tested in Pakistani Population – A scoping review of cross-sectional studies

Amber Khan^{1, 2}

, Bakhtawar Yaqoob³

, Ademir Franco^{1, 4}

¹Division of Forensic Dentistry, Sao Leopoldo Mandic, Brazil

²Department of Forensic Odontology, Abbottabad International Medical Institute, Pakistan

³Department of Science of Dental Materials, Rawal Institute of Health Sciences, Pakistan

⁴ Department of Therapeutic Stomatology, Institute of Dentistry, Sechenov University, Russian Federation

View all affiliations

Received: 15 Aug 2025; Revised: 9 Sep 2025; Accepted: 10 Oct 2025; Available online: 5 Jan 2026; Published: 1 Jun 2026.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

BibTex Citation Data :

@article{actodont28788,
    author = {Amber Khan and Bakhtawar Yaqoob and Ademir Franco},
    title = {Dental age estimation methods tested in Pakistani Population – A scoping review of cross-sectional studies},
    journal = {Acta Odontologica Indonesia},
  volume = {0},
    number = {0},
    year = {2026},
    keywords = {age estimation by teeth, forensic dentistry, Pakistani},
    abstract = {Background: Forensic dentistry is still a growing field in Pakistan. The lack of scientific evidence on the subject can lead to difficulties in situations where age assessment plays a significant role in areas such as criminal and civil proceedings. In large-scale disasters such as earthquakes and accidents, correct investigation of chronological age is less difficult if there is evidence for a specific group of people. Objectives: The purpose of this scoping review was to screen the scientific literature and to find the studies that have been performed with different age estimation methods that have been applied to the Pakistani population over the years. Methodology: It was carried out in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines by searching the following online databases: PubMed/Medline, Scielo,Lilacs,Sciencedirect,Open grey Base, and OATD. A total of 1771 articles were found out. Results: A total of 17 studies remained for full text reading. Out of the 17 studies, eight were excluded because of their study design and two were out of topic. One study was added by expert opinion and a total of eight articles were included in this scoping review including Demirjian’s method, Nolla, Willem’s, Kohler’s, Bang and Ramm, Cameriere,Lamendin’s and Kvaal’s method. Conclusion: The clinical implications of this study are relevant to forensic odontology and clinical dentistry. Overestimation and underestimation of dental age using different methods determines the difference between chronological age time and estimated dental age.},
   issn = {3090-7411},   pages = {1--11}  doi = {10.14710/actodont.28788},
    url = {https://ejournal2.undip.ac.id/index.php/actodont/article/view/28788}
}

Citation Format:

Abstract

Background: Forensic dentistry is still a growing field in Pakistan. The lack of scientific evidence on the subject can lead to difficulties in situations where age assessment plays a significant role in areas such as criminal and civil proceedings. In large-scale disasters such as earthquakes and accidents, correct investigation of chronological age is less difficult if there is evidence for a specific group of people. Objectives: The purpose of this scoping review was to screen the scientific literature and to find the studies that have been performed with different age estimation methods that have been applied to the Pakistani population over the years. Methodology: It was carried out in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines by searching the following online databases: PubMed/Medline, Scielo,Lilacs,Sciencedirect,Open grey Base, and OATD. A total of 1771 articles were found out. Results: A total of 17 studies remained for full text reading. Out of the 17 studies, eight were excluded because of their study design and two were out of topic. One study was added by expert opinion and a total of eight articles were included in this scoping review including Demirjian’s method, Nolla, Willem’s, Kohler’s, Bang and Ramm, Cameriere,Lamendin’s and Kvaal’s method. Conclusion: The clinical implications of this study are relevant to forensic odontology and clinical dentistry. Overestimation and underestimation of dental age using different methods determines the difference between chronological age time and estimated dental age.

Fulltext View|Download

Keywords: age estimation by teeth, forensic dentistry, Pakistani

Funding: n/a

Article Metrics:

Article Info

Section: Reviews

Language : EN

In 2026: June Edition (Article in Press)

Recent articles

Dental age estimation methods tested in Pakistani Population – A scoping review of cross-sectional studies Analysis of Cheilocopy Patterns as a Method of Individual Identification The Effect of a Combined Gel of Black Cumin (Nigella sativa L.) and Mangosteen Peel (Garcinia mangostana L.) Extracts on Collagen Formation in the Healing of Traumatic Ulcer Wounds in Wistar Rats (Rattus norvegicus) Correlation Analysis between Motivation and Anxiety Levels in Patients Undergoing Odontectomy of Impacted Third Molars More recent articles

Divakar KP. Forensic Odontology: The New Dimension in Dental Analysis. International journal of biomedical science : IJBS. 2017;13(1):1-5
Shah P, Velani PR, Lakade L, Dukle S. Teeth in forensics: A review. Indian Journal of Dental Research. 2019;30(2):291-9
Adserias Garriga J. Evolution of methods and state-of-the-art in dental age estimation. 2019. p. 77-87
Refn MR, Kampmann M-L, Morling N, Tfelt-Hansen J, Børsting C, Pereira V. Prediction of chronological age and its applications in forensic casework: methods, current practices, and future perspectives. Forensic Sciences Research. 2023;8(2):85-97
De Donno A, Angrisani C, Mele F, Introna F, Santoro V. Dental age estimation: Demirjian’s versus the other methods in different populations. A literature review. Medicine, Science and the Law. 2021;61(1_suppl):125-9
Sengupta N, Sarode SC, Sarode GS, Gadbail AR, Gondivkar S, Patil S, et al. Analysis of 100 most cited articles on forensic odontology. The Saudi dental journal. 2020;32(7):321-9
Han M-q, Jia S-x, Wang C-X, Chu G, Chen T, Zhou H, et al. Accuracy of the Demirjian, Willems and Nolla methods for dental age estimation in a northern Chinese population. Archives of Oral Biology. 2020;118:104875
Kurniawan A, Chusida An, Atika N, Gianosa TK, Solikhin MD, Margaretha MS, et al. The applicable dental age estimation methods for children and adolescents in Indonesia. International journal of dentistry. 2022;2022(1):6761476
Verma M, Verma N, Sharma R, Sharma A. Dental age estimation methods in adult dentitions: An overview. Journal of forensic dental sciences. 2019;11(2):57-63
de las Heras SM. Chapter 9 - Dental age estimation in adults. In: Adserias-Garriga J, editor. Age Estimation: Academic Press; 2019. p. 125-42
Sharma N, Dhillon S. Identification through dental age estimation in skeletal remains of a child. Journal of Forensic Dental Sciences. 2019;11(1):48-50
Solheim T, Sundnes PK. Dental age estimation of Norwegian adults—a comparison of different methods. Forensic science international. 1980;16(1):7-17
Lamendin H, Baccino E, Humbert JF, Tavernier JC, Nossintchouk R, Zerilli A. A simple technique for age estimation in adult corpses: the two criteria dental method. Journal of forensic sciences. 1992;37(5):1373-9
Beňuš R, Vojtušová A, Novotný M, Thurzo A. Use of third molar eruption based on Gambier's criteria in assessing dental age. International Journal of Legal Medicine. 2023
Suciyanie IM, Gultom FP, Hidayat AN, Suhartono AW, Yuniastuti M, Auerkari EI. Accuracy of forensic age estimation using cementum annulation and dentin translucency in adult: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Legal Medicine. 2022 Sep;136(5):1443-55
Aslam RW, Shu H, Yaseen A. Monitoring the population change and urban growth of four major Pakistan cities through spatial analysis of open source data. Annals of GIS. 2023;29(3):355-67
Tricco AC, Lillie E, Zarin W, O'Brien KK, Colquhoun H, Levac D, et al. PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and Explanation. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169(7):467-73
Sukhia RH, Fida M, Azam SI. Dental age table for a sample of Pakistani children. Eur J Orthod. 2012 Feb;34(1):77-82
Khoja A, Fida M, Shaikh A. Validity of different dental age estimation methods in Pakistani orthodontic patients. Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences. 2015 Jul 3;47(3):283-292
Hassan Q, Rakha A, Bashir MZ. Aspartic Acid Racemization with Correlation to Age: AForensic Perspective. Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons--Pakistan : JCPSP. 2017;27(5):283-7
Kazmi S, Zaidi SJA, Reesu GV, Shepherd S. Dental age estimation using the Kvaal method—an evaluation of length and width ratios: a systematic review. Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology. 2024;20(1):239-48
Tariq Q, Tareen MA, Uddin I, Hussain U. Radiographic Employment of Mandibular Third-Molar Mineralisation to Estimate Chronological Age in a Population of Peshawar, Pakistan. Journal of The Pakistan Dental Association. 2021 Jan 1;30(1)
Bashir MB, Zaidi SJA, Anwar M, Ruaaz R, Baqai HS, Baig QA. Relationship between Chronological Age and Dental Age Using Third Molar Calcification in the Pakistani Population. Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons--Pakistan : JCPSP. 2023;33(1):15
Ullah I, Khurshid H, Ahmed I, Rehman R, Atiq S. Forensic Age Estimation from Lower Third Molar Maturity Index. Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal. 2023 Apr 30;73(2):531
Khan A, Manica S, Franco A. Dental Age Estimation Methods Tested in a Sample of the Pakistani Population: Cross-Sectional Study. Oral. 2023 Nov 20;3(4):511-25
Cherian JM, Thomas AM, Kapoor S, Kumar R. Dental age estimation using Willems method: A cross-sectional study on children in a North Indian city. Journal of oral and maxillofacial pathology : JOMFP. 2020;24(2):383-8
.Akkaya N, Yilanci HÖ, Göksülük D. Applicability of Demirjian’s four methods and Willems method for age estimation in a sample of Turkish children. Legal medicine. 2015;17(5):355-9
.Bagherpour A, Anbiaee N, Partovi P, Golestani S, Afzalinasab S. Dental age assessment of young Iranian adults using third molars: A multivariate regression study. Journal of forensic and legal medicine. 2012;19(7):407-12
Moawed DMNA, Ibrahim NMA, Eid IM, Soliman A, Mostafa HE-S. A comparison between incremental lines of cementum and aspartic acid racemization in age estimation: histological and biochemical study. Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences. 2023;13(1):35
Dasarathi N, Kattappagari KK, Ponnuru VS, Suryaprakash RTC, Santhosh AB, Reddy BVR. Assessment of Dental Age Estimation Using Aspartic Acid Racemization in Human Dentin in Single-Rooted Teeth. Journal of Orofacial Sciences. 2022;14(2):114-9
Prastyo E, Auerkari EI, Suhartono AW, Pasaribu RS, Putra AG, Auerkari P. Performance of Forensic Age Estimation by Aspartic Acid Racemization and DNA Methylation: A Systematic Review. F1000Research. 2024;15(13):1368
Xie Y, Chen S, Sheng L, Sun Y, Liu S. A new landscape of human dental aging: causes, consequences, and intervention avenues. Aging and Disease. 2023;14(4):1123

Last update:

No citation recorded.

Last update:

No citation recorded.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish in Acta Odontologica Indonesia retain full copyright ownership of their work. In keeping with the journal’s commitment to open access, all articles are published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

This license permits anyone to access, use, share, adapt, remix, transform, and build upon the work for any non-commercial purpose, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s), a link to the license is provided, and any changes to the work (if any) are clearly indicated.

Authors' Rights

Authors retain the right to reuse their published article in future scholarly works (such as books or conference presentations). All such uses must comply with the terms of the CC BY-NC license. Authors are encouraged to disseminate their work as widely as possible.

Readers' Rights

Readers and third parties may use the content in accordance with the CC BY-NC license. This includes the ability to reproduce, modify, and build upon the article for non-commercial purposes, as long as proper attribution is given.