Cameriere Method (2007)
Definition
Adult age estimation using the pulp-to-tooth area ratio measured on periapical radiographs of canines.
- Measures
- Pulp-to-tooth area ratio
- Tooth used
- Canine
- Image source
- Periapical radiograph
- Application
- Adult age estimation
Common questions
Why is the canine preferred for this age estimation method?+
The canine has a single root and cusp with a relatively simple, stable pulp chamber shape that shrinks predictably with secondary dentine deposition over adult life, making its pulp-to-tooth ratio easier to measure consistently than a multi-rooted molar.
How does pulp chamber size relate to age in this method?+
Secondary dentine is laid down continuously through adulthood, gradually reducing the pulp cavity's volume relative to the whole tooth. Measuring this shrinkage on a radiograph gives a regression-based age estimate rather than a fixed developmental stage.
Does this method work on children or adolescents?+
No, it targets adults whose teeth have finished forming. Age estimation in children and adolescents instead relies on tooth eruption sequence and root or crown development stages, which the Cameriere method does not use.
Related terms
- ABFO No. 2 Scale
- The right-angle L-shaped reference scale with circular targets used in bite mark photography. Its design enables post-capture correction of lens distortion and...
- Canine
- Single-cusped tooth for tearing and gripping. One per quadrant. Often the last anterior tooth to be lost in old age.
- Cheiloscopy
- Study of lip prints (Greek cheilos, lip; skopein, to examine). The furrow system on human lips was first described by anthropologist R....
- Deciduous Dentition
- The first set of 20 teeth, also called primary or milk teeth, that erupt from approximately six months and are progressively replaced...
- Demirjian Method (1973)
- Childhood age estimation using radiographic stage-scoring (A to H, eight stages) of the seven permanent left mandibular teeth.
- Dental Formula
- Per-quadrant notation of tooth types in the order Incisors.Canines.Premolars.Molars. Human deciduous 2.1.0.2, permanent 2.1.2.3.
- Gustafson Method (1950)
- Adult age estimation using six histological and morphological criteria (Attrition, Periodontosis, Secondary dentine, Cementum apposition, Root resorption, Transparency of root), each scored...
- Incisor
- Chisel-shaped anterior tooth for cutting. Two per quadrant (central and lateral) in both dentitions.
- Molar
- Multi-cusped posterior tooth for grinding. Two per quadrant deciduous, three per quadrant permanent (third molar is the wisdom tooth).
- Nolla Method (1960)
- Ten-stage radiographic scoring of tooth calcification used for paediatric age estimation.
- Permanent Dentition
- Second set of 32 teeth. First permanent molar erupts at 6 years, third molar (wisdom) at 17 to 25 years. Dental formula...
- Premolar (Bicuspid)
- Two-cusped tooth for grinding and tearing. Two per quadrant in permanent dentition only; absent in deciduous.