Secondary dentine deposition is responsible for the decrease in the volume of the pulp cavity with age. Therefore, the volume of the pulp cavity can be considered as a predictor for estimating age. The aims of this study were to investigate the relationship strength between canine pulp volumes and chronological age from homogenous (approximately equal numbers of individuals in each age range) age distribution and to assess the effect of sex as predictor in age estimation. This study was performed on 719 subjects of Pakistani origin. Cone beam computed tomography images of 521 left maxillary and 681 left mandibular canines were collected from 368 females and 349 males aged from 15 to 65 years. Planmeca Romexis® software was used to trace the outline of the pulp cavity and to calculate pulp volumes. Regression analysis was performed to assess the correlation between pulp volumes considering with and without sex as a predictor with chronological age. The obtained results showed that mandibular canine pulp volume and sex have the highest predictive power (R2 = 0.33). The relationship between mandibular canine pulp volume and sex with chronological age demonstrates an odd S-shaped non-linear relationship. A statistically significant difference in volumes of pulp was found (p = 0.000) between males and females. The conclusion was that predictions using the pulp volume of the mandibular canine and sex produced the best estimates of chronological age.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s00414-019-02147-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Radiographic methods using pulp tooth volume ratio (PTVR) are important for dental age estimation. According to previous studies, using PTVR possess different relationships with age in males and females but none of the studies have used a homogenous (approximately equal numbers of individuals in each age range) age distribution to assess this relationship and the effect of sex as predictor on age estimation.This study was performed on Cone beam computed tomography images of 521 left maxillary and 681 left mandibular canines of 719 subjects of Pakistani origin (368 females and 349 males) aged from 15-65 years. Planmeca Romexis® software was used to trace the outline of the pulp cavity and tooth and to calculate respective volumes. Subsequently, Microsoft®Office Excel 2016 was used to calculate the ratios.Regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between PTVR factoring sex in as a predictor for age estimation. The obtained results showed that including sex as predictor with maxillary PTVR (R 2 =0.46) have the highest predictive power. The relationship between maxillary PTVR including sex with chronological age demonstrates a non-linear relationship.The conclusion is that including sex as predictor with maxillary PTVR produced the best estimate of chronological age.

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Objectives: Tooth morphology plays an important role in dental anthropology& forensic odontology. This study was conducted to determine the frequencies of variationsin occlusal surface patterns in permanent mandibular second molars in a subset of Pakistanipopulation. Data Source: 500 medical and dental students of Dow University of Health Sciencesand healthy volunteers visiting the dental OPD with age range from 17 to 25 years. Design ofStudy: Cross-sectional analytical Study. Setting: Department of Oral Biology, Dr. IshratulIbadKhan Institute of Oral Health Sciences, Dow University of Health Sciences. Period: May 2017till August 2017. Materials & Methods: This analytical study was conducted in the departmentof Oral Biology at Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan Institute of Oral Health Science. Five hundred dentalcasts after interoral exam and impression taking were studied for the variations in the frequencyof of cusps and their relative groove and fissure pattern. Statistical analysis was performed byDescriptive analysis and Chi Square. Results: Out of the fivbe hundred casts that were analysed,51% were of males and 49% were of females. The four-cusped variety of mandibular molars withpresence of distal fovea and distal marginal ridge was the most frequent (95.4%) while the mostprevalent occlusal groove form was “+” shape (88.4%). Frequently present occlusal patternwas the “+4” form (85.4%). Conclusion: The occlusal configurations of mandibular molarsshowed high degree of variability. The most frequently occurring pattern of occlusal surface ofmandibular second molars in this subset of Pakistani population was determined to be “+4”form. These findings can be used for forensic, teaching & clinical purposes by providing aPakistani database for morphological characteristic of mandibular molars.

This study aimed to systematically review the correlational accuracy between width ratios and length ratios based on the Kvaal methodology with chronological age. This systematic review followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). The search strategy included ProQuest, PubMed, Science Direct, and Taylor and Francis and Willey online without time or language restriction using Kvaal method of age estimation as key words for the search up to December 2021. A team of two researchers independently selected the studies and extracted the data. The Covidence platform was used to systematically organize all titles. The full texts of eligible studies were analyzed. Risk of bias (RoB) was assessed using a modified (to the specific characteristics of this systematic review) checklist based on Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement checklist for observational studies. A total of 658 articles were initially reviewed, but 22 were selected for inclusion. The risk of bias was estimated to be unclear to low overall. Among the length ratios, ratio R showed a strong association with chronological age, followed by ratio P. For the width ratios, ratio B demonstrated a close association with chronological age, followed by ratio C. The results suggest that width ratios correlate better with chronological age than length ratios. This systematic review suggests the width ratios are more strongly associated with chronological age than the length ratios. Using a width ratio could serve as a convenient and rapid way to estimate dental age. Our results apply equally to all types of ethnic groups.

Medical and dental education during the COVID-19 pandemic has transitioned from face-to-face classroom learning into an online environment. While this transition has many learning opportunities, it has its fair share of drawbacks. Most universities worldwide have adopted ZoomTM, a video conferencing platform for teaching students in an online environment. The silver lining of online learning is that most of what was taught physically could be taught effectively online. However, a frequent complaint by faculty and teachers using zoom is a lack of interaction with students. Twenty practical tips have been proposed that will make teaching and learning through Zoom a conducive learning environment. Most of the course content in medical and dental education can be effectively delivered through the zoom platform. The key to success is interaction through breakout rooms and the use of pre-test, post-test, and polling that will not only engage students but will result in worthwhile learning.

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