The chronology of the radiographic visibility of the periodontal ligament and the root pulp in the lower third molars

Eruption and mineralization of third molars are the main criteria for dental age estimation in living adolescents. As the validation of completion of the 18th year of life appears not to be possible with the forensically necessary probability even if all the third molars of a person are completely mineralized, degenerative dental characteristics might be used for this purpose. In previous publications by Olze et al. (2010a,b) the radiographic visibility of the periodontal ligament and the root pulp in lower third molars were suggested as methods for this purpose.
Source: Science and Justice - Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Tags: Emerging Researcher Article Source Type: research