Discriminant function for grouping subjects into legal age of 12 and 14 years using maturity indices of seven mandibular teeth on panoramic radiograph – A cross sectional study

Abstract

In forensic science, accurate age estimation becomes crucial, especially in cases where information about the deceased is unavailable. The legal categorization of children into age groups, notably at 12 and 14 years, holds significant importance in various legal and social contexts. Despite the importance of such categorizations, the existing literature lacks ample studies addressing the specific classification of children into these legal age groups. This study aims to identify the key variables that distinguish between the categories of 12 and 14 years of age. Additionally, it seeks to calculate and compare the sensitivity, specificity, and overall accuracy of the discriminant function in accurately determining the required age. The oral panoramic radiographs (OPGs) of 3058 children aged between 5 and 16 years from six South Indian states were evaluated. The dataset was divided into train and test data sets. Dental maturity for each individual was estimated by considering the number of fully developed permanent mandibular teeth on the left side and the normalized measurement of the open apices of all seven teeth. Linear discriminant functions for the age groups of 12 and 14 years were computed using the training data. The discriminant functions for the 12-year age group demonstrated an accuracy of, 78.0 %, while those for the 14-year age group achieved an accuracy of .71.2 %. The sensitivity and specificity of the discriminant functions for the 12-year age group were 74.5 % and, 84.6 %, respectively. In the case of the 14-year age group, the sensitivity and specificity were 72.5 % and 70.0 %, respectively. This study concludes that the discriminant functions utilized herein exhibited commendable performance in accurately classifying individuals within the specified age groups of 12 and 14 years.