O terceiro molar como indicador para a maioridade: análise retrospetiva entre populações

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Evaluation of data collection bias of third molar stages of mineralisation for age estimation in the living

Publication . de Oliveira Santos, Inês; Baptista, Isabel Poiares; da Silva, Ricardo Henrique Alves; Cunha, E

Age assessment of the living is a fundamental procedure in the process of human identification, in order to guarantee fair treatment of individuals, which has ethical, civil, legal, and medical repercussions. The careful selection of the appropriate methods requires evaluation of several parameters: accuracy, precision of the method, as well as its reproducibility. The approach proposed by Mincer et al. adapted from Demirjian et al. exploring third molar mineralisation, is one of the most frequently considered for age estimation of the living. Thus, this work aims to assess potential bias in the data collection when applying the classification stages for dental mineralisation adapted by Mincer et al. A total of 102 orthopantomographs, of clinical origin, belonging to individuals aged between 12 and 25 years (⁠ = 20.12 years, SD = 3.49 years; 65 females, 37 males, all of Portuguese nationality) were included and a retrospective analysis performed by five observers with different levels of experience (high, average, and basic). The performance and agreement between five observers were evaluated using Weighted Cohen’s Kappa and the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient. To access the influence of impaction on third molar classification, variables were tested using ordinal logistic regression Generalised Linear Model. It was observed that there were variations in the number of teeth identified among the observers, but the agreement levels ranged from moderate to substantial (0.4–0.8). Upon closer examination of the results, it was observed that although there were discernible differences between highly experienced observers and those with less experience, the gap was not as significant as initially hypothesised, and a greater disparity between the classifications of the upper (0.24–0.49) and lower third molars (>0.55) was observed. When bone superimposition is present, the classification process is not significantly influenced; however, variation in teeth angulation affects the assessment. The results suggest that with an efficient preparation, the level of experience as a factor can be overcome. Mincer and colleague's classification system can be replicated with ease and consistency, even though the classification of upper and lower third molars presents distinct challenges.

2024Journal article

Open access

All that glitters is not gold: X-ray fluorescence analysis of a fixed dental prosthesis from Colecção de Esqueletos Identificados Século XXI, Portugal (CEI/XXI)

Publication . Oliveira-Santos, Inês; Gomes, Ricardo A.M.P.; Coelho, Catarina; Gil, Francisco; Cunha, Eugénia; Baptista, Isabel Poiares; Ferreira, Maria Teresa

Access to better health care anticipates that more medical devices can be found alongside skeletal remains. Those employed in oral rehabilitation, with available brands or batch/series, can prove useful in the identification process. A previous study in the Colecção de Esqueletos Identificados Século XXI described macroscopically the dental prostheses. An unusual case of a dental device with chromatic alterations demonstrated to require a more detailed analysis. The individual, a 53-year-old male, exhibited, at both arches, a fixed tooth-supported rehabilitation, with gold colouring classified initially as a gold-palladium alloy. Simultaneously, a green pigmentation deposit was observable in bone and prosthesis. This investigation aimed to verify the elemental composition of the dental prosthesis alloy. Elemental analysis was performed by X-ray fluorescence in two regions (labial surface of the prosthetic crown and the root surface of the lower right lateral incisor). Both the spectra and the qualitative results found higher levels of copper and aluminium, followed by nickel, iron, zinc, and manganese. No gold or palladium was detected. The most probable assumption is that a copper-aluminium alloy was used, as its elemental concentration corresponds to those measured in similar devices. Dental prostheses of copper-aluminium alloys have been made popular since the 1980s, particularly in the USA, Japan, and Eastern Europe. Apart from the biographical information, it was also known that the individual's place of birth was an Eastern European country, which highlighted the usefulness of this type of information when dealing with missing people cases.

2023Journal article

Open access

Funding agency

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Funding Award Number

SFRH/BD/139158/2018