Deciduous teeth development in fetuses using postmortem computed tomography image analysis.

ABSTRACT

Fetal age is estimated widely by body length and weight and skeletal or dental development and maturation. Regarding dental development, dental development charts reported by Schour and Massler and Ubelaker are well known. We tried to calculate the calcification rate of the deciduous teeth, mandibular cortical bone, and clavicle in fetuses utilizing postmortem computed tomography (CT) image analysis. The CT values within the circumferential area of the region of interest were automatically calculated using a software, and the calcification rate was calculated by performing single regression analysis. Our results showed that deciduous tooth calcification could be detected in over 19-week-old fetuses using CT images. The calcification of bones (mandibular cortical bone and clavicle) started earlier than the calcification of deciduous teeth. However, the calcification rate of the bones was slower compared to that of the deciduous teeth. The calcification rate of the deciduous teeth in fetuses using CT value may be effective to estimate fetal age and evaluate deciduous teeth development, suggesting that our established method is effective for age estimation in forensic dentistry.