A Comparative Analysis of age Estimation of Cementum Annulations in Transverse and Longitudinal Ground Sections Using Bright Field and Phase Contrast Microscopes

Abstract

Introduction: Cementum is laid down in a rhythmic manner throughout life, resulting in alternating hyper- and hypo-mineralized layers. Cementochronology involves counting the incremental rings of dental cementum for age estimation. The present study was conducted to evaluate and compare the validity and reliability of age estimation by analyzing cementum annulations in the bright field- and phase contrast microscopes. Materials and Methods: a total of 50 teeth of all classes extracted from 25 males and 25 females. Transverse (TS) and longitudinal (LS) ground sections were prepared (n=25 each). The total cementum width and number of annulations were analyzed under bright field (BFM) and phase contrast microscopes (PCM). Results: The mean chronological age of the patients in the TS group was 31.00 years; the mean estimated age in TS under BFM was 31.53 years and under PCM was 30.83 years. Whereas, the mean age of the patients in the LS group was 48.67 years; the mean estimated age in LS under BFM was 47.04 years and under PCM was 45.28 years. Conclusion: Cementochronology can be a method of choice in certain situations where the other methods of age estimation cannot be applied such as when many teeth are missing or when only a tooth is available. Using transverse sections and analyzing the annulations under a PCM serves to improve the reliability and accuracy of the method.