Evaluation of Cameriere and Willems age estimation methods in panoramic radiographs of Brazilian children.

The importance of age estimation in the forensic field is inherent to the process of establishing the biological profile of children, sub-adults and adults. The established profile might be useful for the identification of deceased victims or living individuals when it comes to age of legal interest. In parallel, age estimation is also investigated for clinical purposes, especially for the diagnosis of dental and bone maturation. Several studies were developed to provide accurate age estimation methods based on skeletal and dental development. This study aimed to apply and compare Cameriere's and Willems' methods for dental age estimation in a Brazilian sample. Two examiners performed image analysis and method application in 180 panoramic radiographs of Brazilian children aged 6-14 years old. The ages estimated with both methods revealed a good correlation with the chronological ages of Brazilian boys and girls. Cameriere's method showed a slight underestimation of 0.05 years for girls and 0.03 for boys. Willems' method, on the other hand, showed an overestimation of -0.47 years for girls and -0.39 for boys. Better age estimates were obtained combining the outcomes of both methods. In practice, Cameriere's and Willems' methods reached reliable outcomes and could be applied for dental age estimation purposes.

Morphologic alterations ear, nose and lip detected with aging through facial photoanthropometric analysis.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the morphologic alterations of the human face over the time is an essential step towards optimal simulations of facial age progression. In practice, these simulations contribute to the forensic routine by tracking and recognizing missing persons. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the morphometric facial alterations with aging - concerning specifically the development of ear, nose and lip in relation to other facial structures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The sample consisted of 700 photographs taken standardly in frontal view from male and female Caucasian subjects aged from 20 to 80 years old. The sample was divided in 7 age groups (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 years old), in which 50 males and 50 females were distributed homogenously. Photoanthropometric analysis was applied with SAFF 2D® 2.0.05 (SEPAEL/INC, Federal Police, Brazil) software package considering 36 facial landmarks. A single examiner analyzed the sample aided by two other examiners for the assessment of intra-/inter-rater reliability. RESULTS: The most evident alterations found in the facial structures consisted of the enlargement of the nose and ears with aging, as well the reduction in size of the lip thickness. These alterations varied considerably in the specific age ranges studied in this research being different between males and females. CONCLUSION: The present outcomes indicated the possibility of quantifying morphometric alterations observed in the human face with aging. These alterations may support the forensic practice providing tools for age estimation based on photographic analyses.