Facing Challenges in Forensic Dental Age Estimations of Adults

Introduction

Referrals for age estimations are common for forensic dental practitioners. Out of many service provisions rendered by forensic dental practitioners to law enforcement agencies and courts, estimation of ages of both young and adults remains high. Among the many instances where age estimations are required, child labour and child employment, sexual abuse or rape, juvenile justice whether general criminal law or special criminal law for children will be applied, issue of birth certificates and passports, assessing general criminal liability or doli incapax, adoption, sponsoring for citizenships, eligibility for parents pensions/widow fund, marriage and of course in identification of the dead are quite frequent. This means that the forensic dental practitioner is entrusted with the estimation of age of an unknown to the nearest accuracy with highest scientific reliability. Certainly, the cases that are referred can include those that are living or dead.