Assessment of Chronological Age through Mandibular Third Molar Development

Objective: This study evaluates the predictive ability of mandibular third molar development stages in estimating chronological age. Study Design: A cross-sectional study Place and Duration of Study: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Sardar Begum Dental College, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan; from January 2023 to June 2023 Materials and Methods: A total of 180 people (95 males, 85 females) aged 13 to 25 years were evaluated for the developmental stages of mandibular third molars. Descriptive statistics examined the distribution of age, sex, and molar stages, whereas inferential statistics, encompassing linear regression and correlation analysis, assessed the relationship between molar development and chronological age. Results: Linear regression analysis demonstrated that molar development stage strongly predicted age (β = 1.25, p < 0.001, R² = 0.72), accounting for 72% of the variability in age attributed to molar maturation. The accuracy of age estimation was 88.3%, with peak accuracy noted in early (phases A–C) and late (Stages F–H) developmental phases, but transitional stages (D and E) exhibited marginally reduced accuracy. Sex was not a significant predictor (p = 0.135), suggesting that molar development exhibits a comparable pattern in both males and females. These data validate the robust predictive capacity of mandibular third molar growth for estimating chronological age. Conclusion: The growth of mandibular third molars serves as a dependable indicator of chronological age, demonstrating great precision across various age demographics. These results endorse its utilization in forensic and dental age assessment.