Forensic Age Estimation Using Mathew s Method via Bite-Wing Radiographs in A Group of Turkish Population: A Cross-sectional study

Aim: It is aimed to predict age within acceptable margins of error by the Mathew's Method in a sample of Turkish individuals based on bite-wing radiographs. Material and Methods: Measurements were recorded on the total of 302 bite-wing radiographic image based on Mathew’s technique. Pearson's correlation coefficient assessed the relationship between estimated and chronological ages, while the intraclass correlation coefficient measured intra-observer reliability. A test set of 60 samples and a training set of 242 samples were created from the data set. A regression equation was developed from the 242 samples and tested for accuracy with the 60 samples. An Independent Samples t-test was applied to assess the significance of the difference between chronological and estimated ages. Results: There is a moderate negative the correlation among estimated and chronological age values obtained from the regression equation (r = −0.397; p ≅ 0.000<0.05). The intraclass reliability coefficient was found to be 0.992. The mean estimated and chronological age did not differ significantly. (p=0.153). 16.1% of the difference in the pulp chamber crown-root trunk height ratio was explained by chronological age. There was statistical significance in the regression equation (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the mean estimated ages based on gender. (p=0.259). Conclusion: Mathew’s method demonstrates a correlation between accurate and estimated ages in a sample of the Turkish population, suggesting the potential use of bite-wing radiographs for forensic age estimation.