LexForensica: Forensic Justice and Socio-Legal Research Journal

>Age estimation in children is crucial for forensic identification. The mandible coronoid process is the site of attachment of the temporal muscle and is one of the parts that has changed during development, making it a potential landmark for age estimation. This study aimed to determine the morphological differences between children in the coronoid process of the mandible. A total of 305 dental panoramic tomography (DPT) images were divided into two age groups: Group 1 (3–7 years) and Group 2 (8–12 years). Six landmarks of coronoid process of mandible were applied to the DPT using the TPSDig2 software. The coordinate was exported to MorphoJ for geometric morphometric analysis. The general procrustes analysis (GPA), Principal component analysis (PCA), Procrustes ANOVA, and Discriminant function analysis (DFA) was performed. The first five PCs represented 86% of total shape variation, with PC1 contributing the highest proportion (38%), followed by PC2 (20%) and PC3 (12.23%). Procrustes ANOVA demonstrated significant differences in centroid size and shape between groups (p < 0.05). DFA achieved 73% correct classification and 64% after cross validation. Wireframe visualization revealed a higher coronoid tip in Group 2 compared to Group 1, indicating mandibular growth with age. Coronoid process morphology demonstrates significant age-related changes and can serve as a useful supplementary marker for forensic age estimation in children. Geometric morphometric analysis provides a reliable and objective framework for quantifying mandibular growth.

Forensic odontology is the field of dentistry that identifies human remains. The mandible is the strongest bone in the face and remains intact even in mass disasters. Geometric morphometrics is a shape analysis that uses landmark coordinates that can visualise the variation of the structure. A total of 305 DPT images of 159 male and 146 female Malay children were classified into two age groups: Group 1 (ages 3–7) and Group 2 (ages 8–12). These images were analysed using geometric morphometric analysis. Twenty landmarks were digitised using the tpsDig2 software. MorphoJ was used to perform discriminant function analysis (DFA), canonical variate analysis (CVA), principal component analysis (PCA), generalised Procrustes analysis (GPA), and Procrustes ANOVA. There were significant differences in mandible shape and size between the two age groups and sexes (p < 0.05). The first five principal components (PC1–PC5) explained 75% of the shape variation. The DFA showed 82% accuracy in classifying children into age groups after cross-validation. However, the accuracy among males and females dropped to 62%, due to overlapping characteristics and the absence of secondary sexual traits in children under 12. Geometric morphometry can capture unique morphological shape variables, thus enabling the assessment of sexual dimorphism and age estimation using mandibles to aid forensic odontology. This research supports SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, by enhancing scientific tools for victim identification and justice in the aftermath of disasters and crimes involving children.