Age Determination Based on Open Apex Measurement in the Developing Dentition: Comparing the Accuracy of the Belgrade Age Formula (BAF) with the European Formula on a Bosnian Children Population.

Abstract

Objective: The aim was to test the Belgrade age formula based on the calculation of open apices of two permanent mandibular teeth on a Bosnian children population and compare its accuracy with European formula.

Material and methods: We included 412 panoramic images of children (204 female and 208 male) 7 to 13 years of age. We assessed the performance of both methods (the European formula and the BAF) and compared their results in both sexes.

Results: The results showed a high point of average understanding between the age estimated by chronological age and the European formula (ICC=0.927, 95% CI 0.904-0.944, p<0.001)., BAF also confirmed a high point of agreement with chronological age in boys (ICC=0.941, 95% CI 0.922-0.955, p<0.001) and girls (ICC=0.913, 95% CI 0.886-0.934, p<0.001). BAF was better than the European formula in estimating age in males (0.4448±0.9135 vs. 0.9807±0.9422).

Conclusion: The Belgrade Age Formula (BAF) demonstrates comparable accuracy to the European formula for age determination in Bosnian children, while offering the advantage of being easier and faster to use. This makes the BAF a practical alternative in clinical and research settings where efficiency and reliability are essential.