Methods
The research utilized existing dental panoramic tomographs (DPTs) from 1,597 Qatari individuals to construct a Reference Data Set (RDS).
Each participant’s teeth on the left side of the maxilla and mandible were evaluated using an 8-stage Tooth Development Stage (TDS) scheme.
Summary statistics—including count, mean, standard deviation, and percentiles (0th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 100th)—were compiled for each TDS and employed in the Simple Average Method (SAM) for age estimation.
Validation & Findings
A validation sample (VS) consisting of 100 radiographs (50 females and 50 males) with known chronological ages was used to assess accuracy.
Applying SAM, the researchers found a mean difference (error) of approximately 4.8 months in females and 4.5 months in males when compared with true chronological age.
Significance
This study fills a crucial gap by offering a population-specific reference standard for dental age estimation among Qatari youth.
The relatively low estimation error (less than 5 months) suggests strong potential for forensic, clinical, and research applications, particularly where age accuracy and local relevance are essential.
Dentists and dental researchers worldwide are warmly invited to explore the FULL ARTICLE AVAILABLE IN PDF—and consider how this Qatari-specific reference dataset might inform comparative studies, forensic age estimation in diverse populations, or even inspire the development of similar datasets in other regions.
