Estimativa da idade por meio de radiografias panorâmicas

Objective: This study aimed to verify the applicability of the method of estimating age from teeth developed by Nicodemo 1 in a multiracial population sample from the Baixada Cuiabana region of the state of Mato Grosso, Central-West Brazil. Methods: A total of 200 panoramic radiographs were analyzed, 100 from males and 100 from females, from the archives of the specialization orthodontics discipline of the Brazilian Association of Dental Surgeons, Mato Grosso section. The age estimation method proposed by Nicodemo was used, and its accuracy was determined by simple statistics. Results: The ages of 54% of the sample were correctly estimated: 55% and 53% of the estimates for males and females respectively were correct, and 45% and 47% for males and females respectively were wrong. Conclusion: This method needs to be improved or a new method should be developed to be used in the population from this region of Brazil. Indexing terms: age determination by teeth; radiography panoramic; estimation techniques.