Radiographic Indicators for Dental Age Estimation in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review
Published 2024-03-15
Keywords
- Dental age estimation; Radiographic indicators; Children; Adolescents; Panoramic radiography; Systematic review
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Background: Dental age estimation is a critical tool in pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, and forensic sciences, particularly in children and adolescents where chronological age documentation may be unavailable or unreliable. Radiographic indicators derived from dental development stages provide a non-invasive and widely applied approach for age assessment.
Objective: This systematic review aims to synthesize current evidence on radiographic indicators used for dental age estimation in children and adolescents, focusing on methods applied, accuracy, reliability, and influencing factors.
Methods: A systematic search was conducted across electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Eligible studies published between 2000 and 2025 were screened according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria following PRISMA guidelines. Radiographic methods, age ranges, population characteristics, and estimation accuracy were extracted and analyzed.
Results: The included studies demonstrated that tooth development-based radiographic indicators—particularly those derived from panoramic radiographs—show high accuracy in children and adolescents. However, variability was observed across populations, sex, and methodological approaches.
Conclusion: Radiographic dental age estimation is a reliable method in pediatric populations, yet population-specific standards and methodological harmonization remain essential to improve accuracy and clinical applicability.