Factors of importance in dental identification: five case reports

Age estimation in older adults: Use of pulp/tooth ratios calculated from tooth sections

“…Critical issues with this technique is a lack of consistency in counting the rings (Jackes, ), and that accuracy diminishes with increasing age (particularly over 50+ years) due to a reduction in the alternating light and dark bands needed to discern the cementum rings (Condon, Charles, Cheverud, & Buikstra, ; Lipsinic, Paunovich, Houston, & Robison, ), making this technique unsuitable for aging older individuals. Tooth root translucency is a method that also showed initial promise (e.g., Bang, ) with good correlations between estimated and actual age ( R 2 = ∼0.7), but later studies found lower correlations (e.g., R 2 = 0.35, Lopez‐Nicolas, Canteras, & Luna, ) and large standard errors (±12.8 years) (Drusini, Calliari, & Volpe, ). Cameriere et al's () study investigated pulp/tooth area ratios using radiographs as an indicator of age and using maxillary canines, they found that pulp/tooth area ratios were better correlated with chronological age than Solheim's () tooth, root, pulp length, and width linear measurements.…”

Age estimation in older adults: Use of pulp/tooth ratios calculated from tooth sections

“…Critical issues with this technique is a lack of consistency in counting the rings (Jackes, ), and that accuracy diminishes with increasing age (particularly over 50+ years) due to a reduction in the alternating light and dark bands needed to discern the cementum rings (Condon, Charles, Cheverud, & Buikstra, ; Lipsinic, Paunovich, Houston, & Robison, ), making this technique unsuitable for aging older individuals. Tooth root translucency is a method that also showed initial promise (e.g., Bang, ) with good correlations between estimated and actual age ( R 2 = ∼0.7), but later studies found lower correlations (e.g., R 2 = 0.35, Lopez‐Nicolas, Canteras, & Luna, ) and large standard errors (±12.8 years) (Drusini, Calliari, & Volpe, ). Cameriere et al's () study investigated pulp/tooth area ratios using radiographs as an indicator of age and using maxillary canines, they found that pulp/tooth area ratios were better correlated with chronological age than Solheim's () tooth, root, pulp length, and width linear measurements.…”

Adult missing persons: a concept analysis

“…Before 1980, use of the term 'missing person' to refer to an adult of unknown whereabouts occurred in three ways. First, in papers discussing forensic dentistry, anthropological and medical techniques as aids to cadaver identification (Bang, 1972;Berry & Hunt, 1967;Brown, 1984;Brown, Delaney, & Robinson, 1952;Butler, 1974;Keiser-Nielsen, 1963;Schmidt & Fulton, 1982;Siegel, Sperber, & Trieglaff, 1977;Strom, 1968;Turner, 1975); this use has subsequently continued in work about using genetic material for similar purposes (Ge, Budowle, & Chakraborty, 2011;Huffine, Crews, Kennedy, Bomberger, & Zinbo, 2001;Kuo, 1982;Lorente et al, 2000;Shcherbakov, 2001). Second, discussion focused on the status in law of the adult missing person as deceased or non-deceased; for example, relating to release of their estate (Fawcett, 1950;Gordon Gose & Hawley, 1956;McCall, 1965;Roth, 1962).…”

Application of the Bang and Ramm age at death estimation method to two known‐age archaeological assemblages

“…Differentiating between tooth types (23-105 roots per tooth type; mean 41 roots), they demonstrated that RDT length measured quantitatively on its own from sectioned or unsectioned teeth was significantly correlated to chronological age. The resulting age estimation equations have been frequently tested in known-age modern remains (Solheim and Sundnes, 1980;Lorentsen and Solheim, 1989;Lucy et al, 1995;Meinl et al, 2008;Ubelaker and Parra, 2008) and the method has contributed to the widespread application of RDT length for age at death estimation in forensic and archaeological contexts (Bang, 1972;Solheim, 1989;Drusini et al, 1990;Drusini, 1991;Bang, 1993;Beyer-Olsen et al, 1994;Kvaal and During, 1999;Pretty, 2003;Olze et al, 2004;Alt et al, 2006;Brkić et al, 2006;Holck, 2006;Reppien et al, 2006;Acharya and Vimi, 2009). Depending on tooth type and orientation, the use of sectioned or intact teeth, and length of the translucent zone, correlations between RDT and known-age modern teeth ranged from r 5 0.50 to r 5 0.93 with S.D.s from 66.85 years to 615.76 years.…”

Age estimation in older adults: Use of pulp/tooth ratios calculated from tooth sections

“…Critical issues with this technique is a lack of consistency in counting the rings (Jackes, ), and that accuracy diminishes with increasing age (particularly over 50+ years) due to a reduction in the alternating light and dark bands needed to discern the cementum rings (Condon, Charles, Cheverud, & Buikstra, ; Lipsinic, Paunovich, Houston, & Robison, ), making this technique unsuitable for aging older individuals. Tooth root translucency is a method that also showed initial promise (e.g., Bang, ) with good correlations between estimated and actual age ( R 2 = ∼0.7), but later studies found lower correlations (e.g., R 2 = 0.35, Lopez‐Nicolas, Canteras, & Luna, ) and large standard errors (±12.8 years) (Drusini, Calliari, & Volpe, ). Cameriere et al's () study investigated pulp/tooth area ratios using radiographs as an indicator of age and using maxillary canines, they found that pulp/tooth area ratios were better correlated with chronological age than Solheim's () tooth, root, pulp length, and width linear measurements.…”

Adult missing persons: a concept analysis

“…Before 1980, use of the term 'missing person' to refer to an adult of unknown whereabouts occurred in three ways. First, in papers discussing forensic dentistry, anthropological and medical techniques as aids to cadaver identification (Bang, 1972;Berry & Hunt, 1967;Brown, 1984;Brown, Delaney, & Robinson, 1952;Butler, 1974;Keiser-Nielsen, 1963;Schmidt & Fulton, 1982;Siegel, Sperber, & Trieglaff, 1977;Strom, 1968;Turner, 1975); this use has subsequently continued in work about using genetic material for similar purposes (Ge, Budowle, & Chakraborty, 2011;Huffine, Crews, Kennedy, Bomberger, & Zinbo, 2001;Kuo, 1982;Lorente et al, 2000;Shcherbakov, 2001). Second, discussion focused on the status in law of the adult missing person as deceased or non-deceased; for example, relating to release of their estate (Fawcett, 1950;Gordon Gose & Hawley, 1956;McCall, 1965;Roth, 1962).…”

Application of the Bang and Ramm age at death estimation method to two known‐age archaeological assemblages

“…Differentiating between tooth types (23-105 roots per tooth type; mean 41 roots), they demonstrated that RDT length measured quantitatively on its own from sectioned or unsectioned teeth was significantly correlated to chronological age. The resulting age estimation equations have been frequently tested in known-age modern remains (Solheim and Sundnes, 1980;Lorentsen and Solheim, 1989;Lucy et al, 1995;Meinl et al, 2008;Ubelaker and Parra, 2008) and the method has contributed to the widespread application of RDT length for age at death estimation in forensic and archaeological contexts (Bang, 1972;Solheim, 1989;Drusini et al, 1990;Drusini, 1991;Bang, 1993;Beyer-Olsen et al, 1994;Kvaal and During, 1999;Pretty, 2003;Olze et al, 2004;Alt et al, 2006;Brkić et al, 2006;Holck, 2006;Reppien et al, 2006;Acharya and Vimi, 2009). Depending on tooth type and orientation, the use of sectioned or intact teeth, and length of the translucent zone, correlations between RDT and known-age modern teeth ranged from r 5 0.50 to r 5 0.93 with S.D.s from 66.85 years to 615.76 years.…”

Age estimation in older adults: Use of pulp/tooth ratios calculated from tooth sections

“…Critical issues with this technique is a lack of consistency in counting the rings (Jackes, ), and that accuracy diminishes with increasing age (particularly over 50+ years) due to a reduction in the alternating light and dark bands needed to discern the cementum rings (Condon, Charles, Cheverud, & Buikstra, ; Lipsinic, Paunovich, Houston, & Robison, ), making this technique unsuitable for aging older individuals. Tooth root translucency is a method that also showed initial promise (e.g., Bang, ) with good correlations between estimated and actual age ( R 2 = ∼0.7), but later studies found lower correlations (e.g., R 2 = 0.35, Lopez‐Nicolas, Canteras, & Luna, ) and large standard errors (±12.8 years) (Drusini, Calliari, & Volpe, ). Cameriere et al's () study investigated pulp/tooth area ratios using radiographs as an indicator of age and using maxillary canines, they found that pulp/tooth area ratios were better correlated with chronological age than Solheim's () tooth, root, pulp length, and width linear measurements.…”

Adult missing persons: a concept analysis

“…Before 1980, use of the term 'missing person' to refer to an adult of unknown whereabouts occurred in three ways. First, in papers discussing forensic dentistry, anthropological and medical techniques as aids to cadaver identification (Bang, 1972;Berry & Hunt, 1967;Brown, 1984;Brown, Delaney, & Robinson, 1952;Butler, 1974;Keiser-Nielsen, 1963;Schmidt & Fulton, 1982;Siegel, Sperber, & Trieglaff, 1977;Strom, 1968;Turner, 1975); this use has subsequently continued in work about using genetic material for similar purposes (Ge, Budowle, & Chakraborty, 2011;Huffine, Crews, Kennedy, Bomberger, & Zinbo, 2001;Kuo, 1982;Lorente et al, 2000;Shcherbakov, 2001). Second, discussion focused on the status in law of the adult missing person as deceased or non-deceased; for example, relating to release of their estate (Fawcett, 1950;Gordon Gose & Hawley, 1956;McCall, 1965;Roth, 1962).…”

Application of the Bang and Ramm age at death estimation method to two known‐age archaeological assemblages

“…Differentiating between tooth types (23-105 roots per tooth type; mean 41 roots), they demonstrated that RDT length measured quantitatively on its own from sectioned or unsectioned teeth was significantly correlated to chronological age. The resulting age estimation equations have been frequently tested in known-age modern remains (Solheim and Sundnes, 1980;Lorentsen and Solheim, 1989;Lucy et al, 1995;Meinl et al, 2008;Ubelaker and Parra, 2008) and the method has contributed to the widespread application of RDT length for age at death estimation in forensic and archaeological contexts (Bang, 1972;Solheim, 1989;Drusini et al, 1990;Drusini, 1991;Bang, 1993;Beyer-Olsen et al, 1994;Kvaal and During, 1999;Pretty, 2003;Olze et al, 2004;Alt et al, 2006;Brkić et al, 2006;Holck, 2006;Reppien et al, 2006;Acharya and Vimi, 2009). Depending on tooth type and orientation, the use of sectioned or intact teeth, and length of the translucent zone, correlations between RDT and known-age modern teeth ranged from r 5 0.50 to r 5 0.93 with S.D.s from 66.85 years to 615.76 years.…”