Assessment of Digital Panoramic Radiographs in Saudi Population: A Study based on Kvaal's Method

Abstract

This study aims to use Kvaal's method to estimate the chronological age of patients using digital panoramic radiographs and verify the validity of regression equations proposed by Kvaal et al. in the Saudi population. In forensic science, age estimation, particularly age estimation utilizing teeth, plays a significant role in identifying unknown human bodies. The emergence of second molars is thought to have been used by the Romans to assess draught eligibility. Kvaal et al. published a new approach for calculating the chronological age of individuals based on the age-pulp size relationship on periapical dental radiographs in 1995. Digital panoramic radiographs are commonly employed in dental practice because they allow for the acquisition of pictures of six teeth in one ray. There was no statistical difference between the assessed and chronological ages when the Kvaal approach was applied to Saudi members. A total of 74 digital orthopantomograms were randomly selected from Qassim University dental clinic in Saudi Arabia, ranging in age from 18 to 64 years (mean age 32 years). The radiographs were taken in between 2018-2021 according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Age estimation with dental radiographs, in particular, is noninvasive and can be utilized for both the living and the dead. Most age estimations based on dental radiographs employ the decrease in pulp cavity due to aging, as described by Kvaal et al. utilizing periapical radiograph. As per this investigation, a future examination should utilize an enormous example size with a good portrayal of tests from different age groups, nationalities, and genders.