Objective: The present study aimed to compare the validity of different dental markers as pulp to tooth volume ratio, root dentin translucency, and cementum annulation in chronological age determination. The reliability of the results was amended using (multiple linear regression equation) through the measurements obtained from pulp to tooth volume ratio and root dentin translucency.
Materials and Methods: 150 extracted maxillary first premolars were investigated using Cone-beam computed tomography imaging and Mimics software application to obtain pulp to tooth volume ratio, then ground sections were prepared to measure the length of the vertical extension of the root dentin translucent zones using polarized light microscopy. To count incremental lines of cementum, phase contrast microscopy was used. Comparison between the three methods to the chronological age was carried out to obtain the most reliable one.
Results: The linear regression equation using root dentin translucency, and for cementum annulation were both statistically significant (p < 0.001). The multiple linear regression model showed a significant effect on age prediction (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Our comparative study which is age related concluded that cementum annulation using phase contrast microscopy gave the best and most reliable results in correlation to the chronological age (mean value of -0.01) followed by root dentin translucency using polarized light microscopy (mean value -0.018). Pulp to tooth volume ratio using Cone-beam computed tomography imaging and Mimics software revealed the weakest results in relation to the chronological age. Thus, multiple linear regression model in cementum annulation and root dentin translucency can be used to increase the reliability of the obtained results.