An improved technique using dental histology for estimation of adult age.

Multiple regression analysis has allowed considerable improvement of age estimates on adult human teeth. Not only were the estimates more precise, but they also involved fewer variables, decreasing the probability of observer error. There was consistent evidence that the second molar (Position 7) was the best to use for histological aging techniques. The reduction in variables to just secondary dentin and root transparency has also resulted in a technique that can be used with some confidence in populations other than the one sampled. Thus, dental aging can be used in the same way as epiphyseal fusion, osteon aging, cranial sutures, and changes in the public symphysis that have been used with other contemporary and prehistoric populations.