Abstract:
Forensic dentists are frequently required to determine the
age at death of unidentified skeletons, or to age live individuals
who have no record / documentation of their chronological
age. In order to be of the greatest value, the method
used should have the lowest possible standard deviation
and be validated for the individual’s specific population
group. The method most frequently used in Forensic Dentistry
for the estimation of age in children, was described
by Demirjian et al. The maturity standards determined were
based on samples of French Canadian origin and it has
been recommended by several authors that correction factors
be incorporated when applying this method to different
population groups. The current research was carried out on
a sample of 838 black South African children. A new model
for age estimation in the said population was developed,
to accurately determine the chronological age from dental
development. A sample of 604 black South African children
was used to test the validity of the method described by
Demirjian.
