Exames de estimativa de idade dental na prática pericial brasileira

Abstract

Forensic dental examinations are essential for human identification in cases such as illegal migration, sexual violence and criminal liability. In this context, knowing an individual's age is essential. When the chronological age of an individual being examined is unknown, the age estimate is accessed through the teeth. Age estimation is performed based on radiographic analysis of dental development. Different age estimation methods are listed in the literature and the choice of the method to be applied will depend on factors such as sex, dental characteristics and ancestry of the individual being examined. In the Brazilian forensic routine, the forensic dentist is the technical authority responsible for performing this type of examination, having autonomy in choosing the age estimation method that best suits each situation. It is known that some methods are among those most commonly used in forensic services in Brazil. However, the applicability of these methods, in practice, lacks performance tests in more recent samples that are more representative of the Brazilian population. The objective of this study was (1) to learn about the Brazilian forensic routine, assess knowledge about age estimation methods, and determine which methods are most commonly chosen by Brazilian forensic dentists when performing age estimation tests. (2) to apply the method most cited by forensic dentists to a large and homogeneous sample of Brazilian individuals, investigating its accuracy in predicting chronological age. (3) to identify, through a systematic review, studies that used the method most chosen by forensic dentists to perform age estimation tests, verifying the main results/outcomes of the studies in relation to the accuracy of the method. After analyzing the data, it was possible to conclude that: (1) Forensic experts have equipment to perform imaging exams and are aware of different methods of age estimation. The main caseload requiring these exams is human identification. The experts have knowledge of different age estimation methods, but to perform then in children and adolescents, the method most used by forensic dentists was Nicodemo, Moraes and Médici Filho (1974) (NMM). (2) The NMM method showed limitations because only individuals in the early stages of the sample had their ages estimated appropriately. NMM, therefore, was not accurate for application in individuals over 12 years of age and should not be applied in forensic practice for examinations in individuals above this age limit. (3) The studies found demonstrated that the NMM method underestimates the chronological age of individuals, especially those over 14 years of age. There were no significant differences in the performance of the method in relation to sex and ancestry. The use of the method, therefore, is not indicated for age estimation in practice. It is recommended to combine other age estimation methods in the same examination.