Dental age estimation in Brazilian HIV children using Willems' method. (December 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: de Souza, Rafael Boschetti; da Silva Assunção, Luciana Reichert; Franco, Ademir; Zaroni, Fábio Marzullo; Holderbaum, Rejane Maria; Fernandes, Ângela
• Is Part Of: Forensic science international. Volume 257(2015)
• Page Start: 510.e1
• Page End: 510.e4
• Publication Date: 2015-12
• Subjects: HIV -- Dental age estimation -- Willem's method -- Children -- Brazil -- Forensic anthropology population data; Medical jurisprudence -- Periodicals; Chemistry, Forensic -- Periodicals; Forensic Medicine -- Periodicals; Médecine légale -- Périodiques; Chimie légale -- Périodiques; Gerechtelijke geneeskunde; Gerechtelijke chemie; Gerechtelijke psychiatrie; Chemistry, Forensic; Medical jurisprudence; Electronic journals; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 614.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2015.07.044
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0379-0738

Abstract

Highlights: Willems' method is validated for the first time in a sample of HIV patients. The sample was paired, matching age and gender with non-infected patients. In HIV patients, the age was overestimated in only 2.86 months. In non-infected patients, the age was overestimated in only 1.90 months. Willems' method is recommended for age estimations in HIV patients. Abstract: The notification of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Brazilian children was first reported in 1984. Since that time more than 21 thousand children became infected. Approximately 99.6% of the children aged less than 13 years old are vertically infected. In this context, most of the children are abandoned after birth, or lose their relatives in a near future, growing with uncertain identification. The present study aims to estimate the dental age of Brazilian HIV patients in face of healthy patients paired by age and gender. The sample consisted of 160 panoramic radiographs of male ( n : 80) and female ( n : 80) patients aged between 4 and 15 years (mean age: 8.88 years), divided into HIV ( n : 80) and control ( n : 80) groups. The sample was analyzed by three trained examiners, using Willems' method, 2001. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was applied to test intra- and inter-examiner agreement, and Student paired t -test was used to determine the age association between HIV and control groups. Intra-examiner (ICC: from 0.993 to 0.997) and inter-examiner (ICC: from 0.991 to 0.995) agreement tests indicated high reproducibility of the method between the examiners ( P < 0.01). Willems' method revealed discrete statistical overestimation in HIV (2.86 months; P = 0.019) and control (1.90 months; P = 0.039) groups. However, stratified analysis by gender indicate that overestimation were only concentrated in male HIV (3.85 months; P = 0.001) and control (2.86 months; P = 0.022) patients. The significant statistical differences are not clinically relevant once only few months of discrepancy are detected applying Willems' method in a Brazilian HIV sample, making this method highly recommended for dental age estimation of both HIV and healthy children with unknown age.