Evaluation of Secondary Dentin Formation for Forensic Age Assessment by Means of Semi-automatic Segmented Ultrahigh Field 9.4 T UTE MRI Datasets

Overview

Journal Int J Legal Med

Specialty Forensic Sciences

Date 2020 Sep 17

PMID 32940844

Citations 7

Authors

Maximilian Timme

Jens Borkert

Nina Nagelmann

Andreas Schmeling

Affiliations

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Abstract

Dental methods are an important element of forensic age assessment of living persons. After the development of all the teeth, including third molars, is completed, degenerative characteristics can be used to assess age. The radiologically detectable reduction of the dental pulp cavity has been described as such a feature. We investigated the suitability of ultrahigh field 9.4 T ultrashort time echo (UTE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the evaluation of pulp cavity volume in relation to the total tooth volume in 4 extracted human teeth. The volume calculations were performed after semi-automatic segmentation by software AMIRA using the different intensities of the structures in the MRI dataset. The automatically selected intensity range was adjusted manually to the structures. The visual distinction of pulp and tooth structure was possible in all cases with in-plane resolution < 70 μm. Ratios of tooth/pulp volume were calculated, which could be suitable for age estimation procedures. Intensity shifts within the pulp were not always correctly assigned by the software in the course of segmentation. 9.4 T UTE-MRI technology is a forward-looking, radiation-free procedure that allows the volume of the dental pulp to be determined at high spatial resolution and is thus potentially a valuable instrument for the age assessment of living persons.

Citing Articles

Prediction of Age Older than 18 Years in Sub-adults by MRI Segmentation of 1st and 2nd Molars.

Bjork M, Kvaal S, Bleka O, Sakinis T, Tuvnes F, Haugland M Int J Legal Med. 2023; 137(5):1515-1526.

PMID: 37402013 PMC: 10421773. DOI: 10.1007/s00414-023-03055-5.

Age prediction in sub-adults based on MRI segmentation of 3rd molar tissue volumes.

Bjork M, Kvaal S, Bleka O, Sakinis T, Tuvnes F, Haugland M Int J Legal Med. 2023; 137(3):753-763.

PMID: 36811675 PMC: 10085921. DOI: 10.1007/s00414-023-02977-4.

Dentinal translucency and width of cementum: predicting the age over 55 years in South Indian adults using extracted sectioned teeth.

Shylaja S, Manay S, Ganji K, Reddy E, Vamshi V, Muddebihal F J Forensic Odontostomatol. 2022; 40(2):10-20.

PMID: 36027894 PMC: 9942800.

Three-dimensional verification of the radiographic visibility of the root pulp used for forensic age estimation in mandibular third molars.

Gunacar D, Bayrak S, Sinanoglu E Dentomaxillofac Radiol. 2021; 51(3):20210368.

PMID: 34762520 PMC: 8925871. DOI: 10.1259/dmfr.20210368.

Age-dependent decrease in dental pulp cavity volume as a feature for age assessment: a comparative in vitro study using 9.4-T UTE-MRI and CBCT 3D imaging.

Timme M, Borkert J, Nagelmann N, Streeter A, Karch A, Schmeling A Int J Legal Med. 2021; 135(4):1599-1609.

PMID: 33903959 PMC: 8206054. DOI: 10.1007/s00414-021-02603-1.

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