How this tool works

The Demirjian method estimates a child's dental age from how far the permanent teeth have formed on a radiograph. Demirjian, Goldstein and Tanner published it in 1973. It uses the seven permanent teeth on the left side of the mandible, from the second molar (37) to the central incisor (31).

Stage each tooth. Each of the seven teeth gets a developmental stage. The stages run from A (first calcified cusp tips) to H (apex closed), plus 0 (no calcification) for the second molar and second premolar. The stage criteria compare shapes and proportions, such as root length against crown height, so no absolute measurements are needed.
Score each tooth. Each stage has a self-weighted score that is different for boys and girls. For example, a boy's first molar at stage G scores 17.0, and a girl's scores 14.0.
Add the scores. The seven scores add up to a maturity score from 0 to 100. When every tooth reaches stage H, the score is exactly 100 for both sexes.
Convert to dental age. The 1973 conversion tables give, for each age from 3.0 to 16.0 years in steps of 0.1 year, the maturity score that the reference children reached at that age. The calculator finds the two rows around your score and interpolates between them. It shows the result to 0.1 year, the resolution of the table.

The working table shows every tooth's stage and score. A note under it gives the two table rows used. You can check this against the 1973 paper's own example: a boy who scores 45 has a dental age of 6.9 years. The table has 43.6 at 6.8 years and 45.1 at 6.9.

Stages at a glance

Stage	What you see (paraphrased)
0	No calcification (second molar and second premolar only)
A	Cusp tips calcifying as separate cones
B	Cusp tips joined; regular occlusal outline
C	Occlusal enamel complete; dentin forming; pulp chamber curved above
D	Crown complete to the CEJ; root just starting
E	Root shorter than the crown (molars: bifurcation starting)
F	Root as long as the crown or longer; apex funnel-shaped
G	Canal walls parallel; apex still partly open
H	Apex closed; even periodontal space

Open "Stage criteria" in the tool for the full paraphrased criteria, with separate wording for molars and single-rooted teeth at D, E and F. When a tooth is borderline between two stages, choose the earlier one.

Why some stages are missing

The 1973 table has no score for the earliest stages of some teeth. The first molar starts at C, the first premolar at B, the canine and lateral incisor at C, and the central incisor at D. In 1976, Demirjian and Goldstein explained that the original sample had too few very young children to score those stages. The tool lists only stages with a published score.

Which tables we use, and how we checked them

We use the 1973 seven-tooth scores with the 1973 conversion tables. The 1976 revision added stages, used a larger sample and changed nearly every score. It gives percentile curves instead of a conversion table, so its scores can't be read against the 1973 conversion table.

Every value comes from facsimile images of the 1973 appendix tables. We checked the score table against the 1973 scores reprinted by Yan and colleagues (2013), and the conversion table against Patel and colleagues (2015). The boys' conversion table matches row for row. For girls, Patel prints four cells differently: ages 5.7, 5.8, 6.6 and 8.5. Two of Patel's values repeat the next row and the other two break the smooth rise, while the facsimile values rise smoothly, so we kept the facsimile.

Reading the result

Dental age vs chronological age. If you enter the child's age, the tool shows the difference. A positive difference means the teeth look more mature than the calendar age.
Expect overestimation. The reference children were French-Canadian. A 2017 meta-analysis of 28 studies across many populations found the method overestimated age by a pooled 0.62 years in boys and 0.72 years in girls. An earlier meta-analysis of 26 studies found 0.35 and 0.39 years. The Willems modification was more accurate in the 2017 analysis, and its authors recommend population-specific standards.
Flat top end. Near maturity the curve flattens. A boy's score rises only from 97.0 at 14.4 years to 98.0 at 15.5 years, so one stage can shift the age by more than a year. Above the last row (98.4 for boys at 16.0) the tool can only say "16.0 years or older".
Below 3 years the score falls under the first row of the table, and the method doesn't give an age.

Practical tips

Use a good-quality panoramic radiograph, and rate the teeth in order from the second molar to the central incisor.
If a left tooth is missing or can't be read, the 1973 system can't be completed as published. A common workaround is to rate the matching right-side tooth and note it in the record.
The record note lists the stages in FDI order (37 to 31), the scores, the maturity score and the dental age, ready to paste into a chart or a case report.

For eruption ages rather than formation stages, see the Tooth Eruption Chart.

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate dental age with the Demirjian method?

Rate each of the seven left mandibular permanent teeth (37 to 31) on a stage from 0 or A to H. Look up each stage's score in the boys' or girls' table and add the seven scores to get a maturity score from 0 to 100. Then read the age at which the table reaches that score.

Why are some stages missing for some teeth?

The 1973 tables give no score for the earliest stages of some teeth: the first molar starts at C, the first premolar at B and the central incisor at D, for example. Demirjian and Goldstein later explained that the 1973 sample had too few very young children to score those stages. The calculator offers only stages with a published score.

Does the Demirjian method overestimate age?

Usually, yes. A 2017 meta-analysis of 28 studies found a pooled overestimate of 0.62 years in boys and 0.72 years in girls. An earlier meta-analysis of 26 studies found 0.35 and 0.39 years. The tables were built on French-Canadian children, so population-specific standards or the Willems modification are often more accurate.

Which Demirjian table does this use, 1973 or 1976?

The 1973 seven-tooth scores together with the 1973 score-to-age conversion tables. The 1976 revision changed the scores and added stages, but it gives percentile curves rather than a conversion table, so its scores must not be mixed with the 1973 tables.

What if a left tooth is missing?

The 1973 system needs all seven teeth. A common workaround is to rate the matching right-side tooth and note it in the record. Demirjian and Goldstein (1976) point out this isn't always possible, which is one reason they published systems based on four teeth.

Sources

Demirjian A, Goldstein H, Tanner JM. Human Biology 45(2):211-227. A new system of dental age assessment. 1973. Original method, stage criteria and the appendix tables: self-weighted scores and score-to-age conversion for boys and girls. Read in facsimile (next source).
Forensic Odontology, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Universitas Airlangga. Dental Age Estimation Module Handbook. 2019. Facsimile reproductions of the 1973 score and conversion tables (pp.41-43) and the stage criteria (pp.14-18). Every value in the calculator was read from these images. Accessed October 26, 2026.
Demirjian A, Goldstein H. Annals of Human Biology 3(5):411-421. New systems for dental maturity based on seven and four teeth. 1976. Describes the 1973 system (seven left mandibular teeth, eight stages, 0–100 scale, ages 3–16) and why early stages of some teeth were not scored; revised scores not used here. Accessed October 26, 2026.
Yan J, Lou X, Xie L, Yu D, Shen G, Wang Y. PLoS ONE 8(12):e84672. Assessment of Dental Age of Children Aged 3.5 to 16.9 Years Using Demirjian's Method: A Meta-Analysis Based on 26 Studies. 2013. Supporting Table S3 lists the 1973 and 1976 scores (used to cross-check the score table); pooled overestimation 0.35 years (boys) and 0.39 years (girls). Accessed October 26, 2026.
Patel PS, Chaudhary AR, Dudhia BB, Bhatia PV, Soni NC, Jani YV. Journal of Forensic Dental Sciences 7(1):18-27. Accuracy of two dental and one skeletal age estimation methods in 6-16 year old Gujarati children. 2015. Prints the conversion table (Table 3), used as a cross-check; 4 girls' cells differ from the 1973 facsimile and look like typing errors. Accessed October 26, 2026.
Esan TA, Yengopal V, Schepartz LA. PLoS ONE 12(11):e0186682. The Demirjian versus the Willems method for dental age estimation in different populations: A meta-analysis of published studies. 2017. 28 studies; Demirjian overestimated age by 0.62 years (boys, 95% CI 0.56–0.66) and 0.72 years (girls, 0.69–0.75); Willems by 0.26 and 0.29 years. Accessed October 26, 2026.

Last reviewed October 26, 2026 by the Dental Health Time editorial team, against the sources above. How we review.