Accuracy of two dental age estimation methods in the Indian population - A meta-analysis of published studies.

Background: Dental age estimation using radiographic methods have gained considerable attention in the recent past. Although several such methods exist, Demirjian's method and Willems' method are very popular and have been used extensively. Whether these methods are applicable to the Indian population is not known.

Methods: A search of Pubmed, Embase and Google Scholar search engines was done using specific keywords to identify studies using Demirjian's and Willems' methods in the Indian population. Studies published up to July 2018 were considered, and after thorough review, 20 eligible studies were identified. Meta-analysis of data obtained from these articles was conducted on 3668 children for Demirjian's method and 3144 children for Willems' method. The weighted mean differences for both of these methods at 95% confidence intervals were assessed to identify the accuracy of each method in predicting the chronological age.

Results: Demirjian's method was found to consistently overestimate the age in Indian population, irrespective of the gender. The overestimation was in the order of few months. Willems' method resulted in underestimation of the age, although this was comparatively minimal in the order of 30 to 40 days.

Conclusion: Willems' method produced more accurate age which was very close to the chronological age, both in boys and girls. In contrast, Demirjian's method suffered from marked overestimation. Willems' method appears to be more suited to use in the Indian population.