Automated Age Estimation from OPG Images and Patient Records Using Deep Feature Extraction and Modified Genetic–Random Forest

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Dental age estimation is a vital component of forensic science, helping to determine the identity and actual age of an individual. However, its effectiveness is challenged by methodological variability and biological differences between individuals. Therefore, to overcome the drawbacks such as the dependence on manual measurements, requiring a lot of time and effort, and the difficulty of routine clinical application due to large sample sizes, we aimed to automatically estimate tooth age from panoramic radiographs (OPGs) using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. Methods: Two-Dimensional Deep Convolutional Neural Network (2D-DCNN) and One-Dimensional Deep Convolutional Neural Network (1D-DCNN) techniques were used to extract features from panoramic radiographs and patient records. To perform age estimation using feature information, Genetic algorithm (GA) and Random Forest algorithm (RF) were modified, combined, and defined as Modified Genetic–Random Forest Algorithm (MG-RF). The performance of the system used in our study was analyzed based on the MSE, MAE, RMSE, and R2 values calculated during the implementation of the code. Results: As a result of the applied algorithms, the MSE value was 0.00027, MAE value was 0.0079, RMSE was 0.0888, and R2 score was 0.999. Conclusions: The findings of our study indicate that the AI-based system employed herein is an effective tool for age detection. Consequently, we propose that this technology could be utilized in forensic sciences in the future.