Comparative evaluation of Demirjian's four teeth and alternate four teeth methods for the dental age estimation in children and adolescents of Varanasi region.

Background: Age estimation is an important approach in the field of forensics and medical sciences to assists in clinical practice, medico-legal cases, and in criminal cases of judicial punishment.

Aim: This study aim the applicability and comparison of four-teeth method and the alternate four-teeth method of Demirjian's approach among the Varanasi population.

Settings and design: This is a cross-sectional prospective study on the population of Varanasi region children and adolescents.

Materials and methods: Four hundred and thirty-two panoramic images of children and adolescents (237 boys and 195 girls) aged 3-16 years, from the population of Varanasi region oriental was assessed using the four-teeth method and the alternate four-teeth method of Demirjian's approach, for the estimation of dental age.

Statistical analysis: Pearson's two tailed test was applied to establish the correlation between chronological age and estimated dental age and Paired t-test was applied to check the statistical significance between mean chronological age and mean estimated dental age.

Results: The dental age of boys was overestimated by 0.39 ± 1.15 years (P < 0.001) and dental age was underestimated by - 0.34 ± 1.15 years (P < 0.001) among girls using the Demirjian's four teeth method. According to Demirjian's alternate four teeth method, the sample of boys overestimated the dental age by 0.76 ± 1.00 years (P < 0.001) with the statistically significant difference. While the sample of the girls had negligible overestimation of 0.04 ± 1.03 years (P = 0.580) with no statistically significant difference.

Conclusion: Demirjian's four teeth method is better to estimate dental age in boys, whereas Demirjian's alternate four teeth method in girls of Varanasi region.