Third molar maturity index (I3M) assessment according to different geographical zones: a large multi-ethnic study sample.

Identification of living undocumented individuals highlights the need for accurate, precise, and reproducible age estimation methods, especially in those cases involving minors. However, when their country of origin is unknown, or it can be only roughly estimated, it is extremely difficult to apply assessment policies, procedures, and practices that are accurate and child-sensitive. The main aim of this research is to optimize the correct classification of adults and minors by establishing new cut-off values for four different continents (Africa, America, Asia, and Europe). For this purpose, a vast sample of 10,701 orthopantomographs (OPTs) from four continents was evaluated. For determination and subsequent validation of the new third molar maturity index (I3M) cut-off values by world regions, a cross-validation by holdout method was used and contingency tables (confusion matrices) were generated. The lower third molar maturity indexes, from both left and right side (I3ML and I3MR) and the combination of both sides (I3ML_I3MR) were calculated. The new cut-off values, that aim to differentiate between a minor and an adult, with more than 74.00% accuracy for all populations were as follows (I3ML; I3MR; I3ML_I3MR, respectively): Africa = (0.10; 0.10; 0.10), America = (0.10; 0.09; 0.09), Asia = (0.15; 0.17; 0.14), and Europe = (0.09; 0.09; 0.09). The higher sensitivity (Se) was detected for the I3ML for male African people (91%) and the higher specificity (Sp) of all the parameters (I3ML; I3MR; I3ML_I3MR) for Europeans both male and female (> 91%). The original cut-off value (0.08) is still useful, especially in discriminating individuals younger than 18 years old which is the goal of the forensic methods used for justice.

Social, Educational and Dental Profiles of Brazilian Patients with Special Needs Attended at a Center for Dental Specialties

Objective: To identify the profiles of patients with special needs attended at a Center for Dental Specialties. Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional and quantitative study using an inductive approach, and a comparative and statistical procedure for analysis of the patients with special needs. Information concerning socioeconomic, medical and dental conditions was collected. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS, adopting a significance level of 5%. Results: It was observed that 58.6% of the users were males, single (54.7%), in the age group from 19 to 59 years (41.1%), being 97.4% without schooling. The most frequent clinical diagnoses were: deviations in intelligence (18.4%), behavioral deviations (18.4%) and physical defects (17.9%). We observed for oral health the presence of gingivitis (33.0%), and healthy gums (47.8%); the presence of caries (64.9%), with restored teeth (28.5%), and edentulism (12.3%). Dental intervention procedures were initiated with emphasis on: fluoride applications (39.7%) and subgingival scraping (34.9%). Topical fluoride applications (p=0.010) and prophylaxis (p=0.010) were realized in patients without autism. Also, prophylaxis (p=0.007) was more frequently performed and gingival alterations were more often verified (p=0.020) in patients without Down's syndrome. Conclusion: The users of the patients with special needs dental service can be generally described as male, single, aged between 19 and 54 years, with the special conditions of intelligence and behavioral deviation.