Validation and comparison of Blenkin Taylor Atlas and the London Atlas on an Australian population subset for dental age estimation

OBJECTIVES: Individual dental age estimation systems provide essential information in law and forensic sciences for the living and deceased. Considering the multi-ethnic population of Australia, it is important to compare the performance of the internationally recognized London Atlas against the Australian-developed Blenkin Taylor age estimation system. METHODS: 218 anonymized digital panoramic radiographs of children aged 5-18 years old were reviewed and 200 met inclusion criteria. The qualified radiographs were subjected to both the London Atlas and Blenkin Taylor age estimation systems, and this was compared to the children's real ages. RESULTS: The Blenkin Taylor method produced a statistically significant mean underestimation of 0.34 ± 1.44 years, while the London Atlas also produced a statistically significant mean underestimation of 0.96 ± 1.64 years. CONCLUSION: Both age estimation systems produced a significantly smaller difference between the estimated and chronological age for females compared to males. Both the London Atlas and Blenkin Taylor are appropriate to apply in an Australian paediatric population for the purposes of forensic age estimation.