Applicability of Willems method for dental age estimations in Tunisian children

This study aims to evaluate the applicability of Willems method in a sample of Tunisian children. Panoramic x-ray photographs of 500 children (241 females, 259 males) aged between 5 and 15 years were examined. The mean absolute error (MAE) was performed to assess the accuracy of age estimation. The chronological age minus dental age (CA-DA) was determined for each age group and for each gender. Independent samples t-test was employed to compare the differences between genders.MethodsWillems method underestimated the chronological age on the average, by 0.40 years for males and by 0.69 years for females. The discrepancy between the chronological age and the estimated age was most frequently observed for ages above 8 years.ResultsIt is established that the Willems method could estimate the chronological age with acceptable accuracy in Tunisian children (MAE = 1.10 years, and 0.98 years for males and females, respectively).
Source: Pediatric Dental Journal - Category: Dentistry Source Type: research