Challenges in analyzing dental cementum for age and sex estimation in a Colombian Population

Teeth are more resistant to environmental conditions and time than bones, making them valuable for studying key biological variables for human identification, such as age and sex. This study analyzed the morphology of dental cementum in the middle third of the root to explore its relationship with age and sex in individuals from the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley, Antioquia, Colombia. Teeth from 80 individuals (15 to 47 years) were examined using cementochronological, histomorphometric, and image analysis techniques. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between actual and estimated age and cementum variables, while unpaired t-tests evaluated sex differences. Univariate and multivariate discriminant analyses were performed for sex estimation. Estimated age showed significant weak-to-strong correlations with all measurements except the surface area of Cellular Mixed Stratified Cementum. Actual age had weak-to-moderate positive correlations with the number of incremental lines and surface area in both Cellular Mixed Stratified Cementum and Acellular Extrinsic Fiber Cementum. Discriminant analysis for sex estimation yielded a mean correct classification rate of 66.10% after cross-validation. In conclusion, while cementum histomorphometry appears to have limited reliability for age estimation, it shows potential for sex estimation, supporting the development of discriminant function equations for this population.