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CC BY 4.0 · Eur J Dent 2023; 17(01): 200-209
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1744373
Original Article

Application of Third Molar Maturity Index (I3M) for Assessing Adult Age of 18 Years in a Southern Italian Population Sample

Nino Giannitto
1   School of Legal Medicine, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, Messina, Italy
,
Angela Militi
2   School of Dentistry, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, Messina, Italy
,
Daniela Sapienza 
1   School of Legal Medicine, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, Messina, Italy
,
Serena Scurria
1   School of Legal Medicine, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, Messina, Italy
,
Patrizia Gualniera
1   School of Legal Medicine, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, Messina, Italy
,
Cristina Mondello 
1   School of Legal Medicine, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, Messina, Italy
,
Elvira Ventura Spagnolo
1   School of Legal Medicine, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, Messina, Italy
,
Antonella Terranova
1   School of Legal Medicine, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, Messina, Italy
,
Marco Portelli
1   School of Legal Medicine, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, Messina, Italy
,
Gabriele Cervino 
2   School of Dentistry, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, Messina, Italy
,
Luca Fiorillo 
2   School of Dentistry, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, Messina, Italy
3   Multidisciplinary Department of Medical-Surgical and Odontostomatological Specialties, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli,” Naples, Italy
4   Department of Dentistry, University of Aldent, Tirana, Albania
,
Aida Meto 
5   Endodontic Clinical Section, School of Dentistry, Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences DIBINEM, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
,
Angela Alibrandi
6   Department of Economics, University of Messina, Piazza Pugliatti, Messina, Italy
,
Alessio Asmundo 
1   School of Legal Medicine, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, via Consolare Valeria, Messina, Italy
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Abstract

Objective Age estimation of living or dead individuals has a strategic importance in medicine, anthropology, and forensic science, in the context of mass disasters and in civil or criminal matters such as adoption or asylum. Teeth play a major role in this context in particular, the third molars are useful for determining whether an individual has reached the legal age of 18 years because they are still in development from the age of 14.

Materials and Methods In this study, a sample of 307 panoramic radiographs performed on healthy subjects aged between 13 and 23 was analyzed to consider the correlation between the maturity index of the third molar (I3M) and age to verify the reliability of the cutoff 0.08 indicated by Cameriere et al in a sample of Italian subjects living in the Province of Messina (Sicily, South Italy) to discern the adult subjects from the minors.

Statistical Analysis The analysis of 307 panoramic radiographs resulted in a sensitivity of 89.2% with a confidence interval of 95%, a specificity of 96.5% with a confidence interval of 95%, and a positive predictive value of 96.7%.

Results The method proved itself reliable in estimating adulthood in the population of the Messina- Sicily, but the I3M should not be used as the sole indicator to determine whether a person is younger or older than 18 years because age estimation based on dental methods alone has limitations as the third molars suffer from many variations related to their morphology, their location, and their development.

Conclusion We recommend a combination of several methods that are available to increase accuracy of age estimation, depending on the different legal requirements in civil or criminal cases.

Keywords

forensic science - forensic anthropology - age estimation - third molar - orthopantomography - immigration - accompanied minors

Authors' Contributions

A.M. and M.P. conceptualized the study; P.G. was involved in methodology and software; G.C., A.T., C.M., and A.Me. were involved in data curation; N.G. was involved in writing—original draft preparation; A.M. and L.F. helped in writing—review and editing; D.S., S.S., and E.V.S contributed in visualization; A.As. and G.C. supervised the study; A.Al. and A.M helped in project administration. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.




Publication History

Article published online:
27 June 2022

© 2022. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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