MANDIBULAR PARAMETERS FOR AGE ESTIMATION: A DIGITAL ORTHOPANTOMOGRAPHIC STUDY IN HYDERABAD POPULATION

Background: Mandible is one of the strongest facial bones, which exhibits great changes in size and morphology during growth and aging. The mandibular ramus and gonial angle in particular show notable alterations with aging. Orthopantomographywhich is a regularly used, non-invasive procedure can be used to assess mandibular morphology with ease. Aim and objectives: To assess the correlation of dimensions of condylar ramus height, coronoid ramus height and gonial angle with chronological age of the individual, andevaluatetheirefficacy in estimating age of the individual. Materials and methods: The study sample included 200 digital orthopantomographs of individuals of diverse age groups. Measurements of condylar ramus height, coronoid ramus height and gonial angle were made on the digital orthopantomographs and data was tabulated. Age estimation formulae were derived for each of the three parameters and age was estimated for each individual using the formulae. Results: No statisticallysignificant difference was found on comparing the chronological age and estimated age obtained using condylar ramus height, coronoid ramus height, and gonial angle. Among the three parameters,coronoid ramus height displayed a statistically significant correlation with chronological age. Conclusion:Present study indicates that coronoid ramus height can be used as a reliable indicator for age estimation.