Demirjian and Cameriere methods for age estimation in a Spanish sample of 1386 living subjects

Abstract

The aim of the study is to determine the validity of two methods based on mineralisation of the third molar to predict the ages of majority of individuals in a Spanish population. Orthopantomographies of 636 men and 750 women were analysed. The Demirjian and Cameriere methods were used, and each tooth was assigned a value according to the degree of mineralisation and maturation. The Cameriere method has a predictive capacity of 88%. For other proposed age ranges (14 and 16 years), both methods were useful in determining the actual age of individuals, with the Demirjian method having a sensitivity of 97.5% with and Cameriere having a predictive capacity of 95%. Both methods can be used with high reliability to determine the age of individuals where reliable documentation is unavailable. The combination of the two methods does not substantially increase predictive ability.