A systematic review and meta-analysis of Gustafson’s six dental variables for age estimation in adults
摘要
Dental age estimation (DAE) by means of direct visualisation remains a fundamental tool in forensic odontology, particularly for Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) in resource-limited settings. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to calculate the pooled correlation coefficient between chronological age (CA) and six Gustafson-derived dental variables in modern adults. Following PRISMA guidelines, five databases were searched until June 2025, resulting in 27 included studies, with 19 utilized in a three-level random-effects meta-analysis. The overall weighted correlation between CA and Gustafson-derived variables was moderate (r = 0.67,