Keywords
Orthopantomography
Age determination by teeth
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Abstract
Objective: To review dental age estimation methods using panoramic radiographs in children and young adults. Methods: A search was conducted in the SciELO, LILACS, and PubMed databases using the keywords "Dental Age Determination", "Panoramic Radiographs", combined with "AND" in both Portuguese and English. Only full-text articles published between 2020 and 2025 were included. Results: Forty-three studies were analyzed, evaluating 14 distinct dental age estimation methods in populations aged 2 to 30 years. The most frequently tested methods were Demirjian, which overestimated age in most studies, particularly in males; Willems, which showed overestimation in younger ages and males, but underestimation in older age groups; AlQahtani, which overestimated age in younger cohorts; Cameriere, which exhibited a tendency to overestimate in females, though some studies reported underestimation; and Nolla, which underestimated age in females. The Nicodemo method demonstrated low accuracy across all age groups, with regional variations (e.g., India, Brazil, China), suggesting population-specific influences. Final considerations: Accuracy varies significantly by region, highlighting the need for method adaptations to specific populations.
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