NCJ Number
220430
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 52 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2007 Pages: 1156-1160
Date Published
September 2007
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This study tested the validity of two methods of determining age at death from the features of teeth, i.e., the method used by Lamendin et al., which uses one formula for age across sex and ancestry; and Prince and Ubelaker, who developed separate formulas for each sex and for different ancestries.
Abstract
The Prince and Ubelaker method provided more accurate age estimation from the features of teeth than the Lamendin technique with reference to the Spanish Caucasian population (45 males and 34 females). Based on Prince and Ubelaker's work, the authors also developed a new age-determination formula based on a population of mixed racial origin from Colombia. This formula was found to be more accurate than the Lamendin technique in estimating age from dental features in the Colombian population. Lamendin et al. developed a general technique for estimating the age of adults at death by using two dental features: periodontosis (condition of the gum tissue and bone holding the teeth) and the translucency of the tooth root. Prince and Ubelaker modified this method by creating a formula for each sex and for different ancestries using the features of teeth identified by Lamendin. The current study findings show that separate formulas must be developed for sex and ancestry, and the translucency of the tooth root shows the closest correlation with age. In the first phase of this study, the sample consisted of 79 teeth from 45 males and 34 females, all of whom were from Grenada. Forty-five of the teeth were from a collection of recent skeletal remains, and 34 had been recently extracted from live subjects in Grenada dental clinics. The second phase of the study involved 78 teeth from 71 males and 7 females of a Colombian mixed-race population. 2 tables, 4 figures, and 18 references