Third Molar Development in Somalis as Compared with Caucasians and a New Method of Classification of Third Molar Development

Abstract

The third molar has been suggested as a reliable and useful indicator in age estimation during late adolescence to determine if an individual of unknown age has reached the age of majority. It is known that the rate of dental development is influenced by ethnic origin, and thus it is of importance to develop population specific dental development standards. Little is currently known of the rate of third molar development in Somali people. To compare the chronological ages at which third molar developmental stages are reached in American-born Somali and Caucasian individuals aged 10 to 20 years old, and to develop a reliable method of classifying third molar developmental stages.A total of 217 third molars were analyzed from 57 panoramic images of 24 individuals. The developmental stages of all molars were determined by two examiners using both the Demirjian et al. (1973) methods and the method proposed in this study. Trends in the data suggest that Somali individuals reach each of the stages of third molar development at younger chronological ages than Caucasian individuals. Numbers of molars within each stage of development were not large enough to test for a significant difference between the two ethnicities. The new classification of third molar development was more reliable than the Demirjian et al. method when used to analyze this study's data.Staging by both classification systems suggests that Somali third molars may develop at a younger age than Caucasian third molars. The classification system introduced here is more reliable than the widely-used Demirjian method.