Quantifications of Mandibular Trabecular Bone Microstructure Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography for Age Estimation: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

The aim of this study is two-fold: first, to correlate the values for each of the trabecular bone microstructure (TBM) parameters to the individual’s chronological age and sex, thereby facilitating the assessment of potential age and sex-related changes in trabecular bone microstructure parameters in the mandible; and second, to quantify the trabecular microstructural parameters in relation to chronological age. Twenty cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) scans were retrieved retrospectively from a database of adult patients with ages ranging in age from 22 to 43 years. In the mandible, the volume of interest included the inter-dental space between the second mandibular premolar and the first mandibular molar, as well as the trabecular space beneath and between the apices. Using the AnalyzeDirect 14.0 software, the DICOM images of CBCT scans were pre-processed, transformed, segmented using a novel semi-automatic threshold-guided method, and quantified. In addition, TBM parameters were derived, and statistical analysis was conducted using a Pearson correlation test with two tails. All parameters exhibited no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) between chronological age and sex. Statistically significant negative correlations were found between Tb. N (r = −0.489), BS/TV (r = −0.527), and chronological age (p = 0.029 and p = 0.017, respectively). Only Tb. N and BS/TV exhibited an inverse relationship with chronological age. Numerous studies have quantified the trabecular architecture of the jaw bones, but none have found a correlation between the quantified trabecular parameters and chronological age. The digital imprints produced by radiographic imaging can serve as biological profiles for data collection.