## 4 Discussion
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l l l l l} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Tooth**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**Plane**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Predicted Value**} & \multirow{2}{*}{**SEE**} \\ \cline{3-3} \cline{5-6}  & & **Minimum** & **Maximum** & **Mean \(\pm\) SD** \\ \hline Incisor & PTRS & 29.94 & 52.70 & 39.98 \(\pm\) 4.60 & 10.12 \\ \hline Incisor & PTRA & 26.37 & 50.96 & 39.98 \(\pm\) 5.19 & 9.82 \\ \hline Canine & PTRS & 33.52 & 43.86 & 37.94 \(\pm\) 1.98 & 10.94 \\ \hline Canine & PTRA & 25.93 & 46.79 & 37.94 \(\pm\) 3.36 & 10.60 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 6: Estimated age using the regression equation for overall sample. alternative for estimating age-at-death in situations where the latter teeth are unavailable. [PERSON] et al. [40] conducted a study in a Korean population to assess the feasibility of using the pulp/tooth area ratio in lower premolar teeth. A panoramic view was used in this study. Gender-based independent t-tests revealed significant differences. The assumptions of the regression models and the accuracy of prediction in PTR and PrRR (PTR ratio in the root part) were found to be satisfactory. It was concluded that the panoramic radiography-based pulp/tooth area ratio is a promising tool in this area. It is noteworthy that female subjects exhibited greater accuracy compared to male subjects. Lack of difference in pulp-tooth area in the present population may be an added advantage in conditions where gender estimation is otherwise not feasible. A statistically significant correlation between age and PTR was found in the axial and sagittal planes of maxillary incisors and canines. The axial plane of the maxillary incisor was the most closely correlated with age (r = \(-\)0.47), followed closely by sagittal view (r = \(-\)0.41); however, the sagittal view of canines revealed the negligible correlation (r = \(-\)0.17). Also, the results of our study are similar to the reports by [PERSON] et al. in the Indian population, who reported similar degrees of correlation between PTR and age [15]. This low correlation may be attributed to the slow and irregularly paced secondary dentine formation in specific populations. Hence, the low or negligible correlation of incisors and canines challenges the reliability of these two teeth as an age predictor. There are reports of higher 'r' values corroborating excellent correlation coefficient between different tooth types and PTR [18]. However, most of the studies utilized two-dimensional radiographs. Compared to a wide range of 'r' values reported by two-dimensional techniques, CBCT imaging would be promisingly precise to validate the tooth as an age estimator [41]. A couple of studies using CBCT imaging in the Turkish and Malaysian population for age prediction reported an 'r' value (correlation coefficient) similar to our study [3,33]. However, a recent meta-analysis by [PERSON] et al. for age prediction using pulp-tooth quantification by CBCT technique reported 'r' value of 0.66 for the upper central incisors and 0.59 for upper canines justifying moderate correlation [42]. Our study reported 'r' values, i.e., 0.41 for incisors; 0.17 for canines, which are far less than the value reported in the systematic review. This indicates the inconclusive nature of maxillary central incisors and canines as an age predictor in this Saudi Arabian population. We believe that further studies with combinations of other teeth in this population to find teeth with a strong correlation coefficient, if discovered, would be of utmost use in forensic science. The coefficient of determination (R\({}^{2}\)) is a good predictor of the strength of association between two variables. In the present study, among tooth and plane combinations, the axial plane of maxillary incisors had the best R\({}^{2}\) value; 0.19 in females and 0.18 in males. As reported by [PERSON] et al. in an Indian population, and in our study, too, only PTR in the axial plane had a significant coefficient of determination for age prediction.