Thickness of the dental (radicular) cementum: a parameter for estimating age

Abstract

The present study used 127 extracted teeth from people aged 16 to 90 years old. The aim of this research was to verify the reliability of the method using a single dental parameter based on the correlation of the radicular cementum thickness and the chronological age of the subject. The thickness was measured both on the lingual side and on the vestibular side of the tooth, at two different levels: apex and one third of the root length from the apex. The data were reported through a Cartesian graph with the X-axis showing the cementum thickness and the Y-axis showing the subject's age. The correlation between age and the increase of the cementum thickness is more statistically evident when the measurement is taken at the apex (R2=0.67), in comparison with the measurement taken at approximately one third of the root length from the apex (R2=0.56).