A study on the effects of ageing on mandibular morphology: A digital radiographic assessment

The aim of this study was to determine, compare and differentiate the morphologically related changes of the mandible in dentate males and females among different age groups on digital panoramic images, and to assess their authenticity in age estimations to provide evidence in forensics. The panoramic images were made for 420 subjects of four age groups: 12-18 years, 19-40 years, 41-60 years, and older than 60 years. The gonial angle, condylar length, ramus length, cortical bone thickness, and ramal notch width were measured and evaluated. The data obtained were then subjected to descriptive statistical analysis followed by Paired t-test and Two-way ANOVA test. On measuring angular and four-linear measurements, statistically significant differences were found among all the age groups with p < 0.05, and also increased on aging except for the gonial angle. Among all the parameters, the gonial angle, ramus length, and ramal notch width depicted a statistically significant difference between the right and left sides with p < 0.05. It is found that all parameters except the gonial angle were reliable for age determination. Hence, this study positively recommends the use of all parameters except the gonial angle for the purpose of age estimation in the field of forensics.