Regression models to predict cranial vault thickness for subadults: A computed tomography study Goh Xu You, Dominic Eng Lu Jue, Melissa Humphries, Sharifah Nabilah Syed Mohd Hamdan, Meghna Gohain, Mohammed Rafiq Abdul Kadir, Rabiah Al-Adawiyah Rahmat, Norliza Ibrahim Asian Journal of Surgery, 2026 Correlations between cranial vault thickness (CVT) and age, sex, and ethnicity have been extensively researched. Still, the potential to utilize these biological parameters to estimate CVT in a clinical setting has yet to be explored. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between CVT and age, sex, and ethnicity and subsequently develop regression models of CVT for Malaysian subadults. Eighty-four multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) cranial data of the Malaysian subadults were obtained from the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). Three-dimensional cranial models were constructed and analyzed using Materialise Mimics version 25.0 (Materialise NV, Leuven, Belgium). Then, measurements were taken at four sites of four cranial bones (frontal, occipital, and bilateral parietal bones). A strong positive correlation was obtained between CVT of all bones and age ( p < 0.05). However, no significant differences in CVT were found between sex and ethnicity ( p ≥ 0.05). In addition, four separate predictive models for each cranial bone were developed using multiple regression analyses. The findings suggest that age could be a predictor of CVT. Furthermore, the regression models may serve as a triage tool for estimating CVT in clinical applications such as cranial surgical planning, manufacturing of surgical screws, and craniofacial deformity assessment.
Relationships among apical surface area, impaction level, and age in impacted mandibular third molars: a CBCT study Ghassan Ali Abbas, Rabiah Al-Adawiyah Rahmat, Amir Hazwan Abdul Rahim, Meghna Gohain, Arofi Kurniawan, Mariam Abdullah, Zuraiza Mohamad Zaini, Norliza Ibrahim Oral Radiology, 2026 Objectives This study investigated the association between the apical surface area measurement (ASAM) of impacted mandibular third molars (IMTM) and chronological age at varying impaction levels, as well as ASAM differences among levels. Methods A total of 446 IMTM (227 right, 219 left) from 257 Malaysian patients aged 15.0 to 25.9 years were included and grouped into 0.9-year intervals. All CBCT images were analysed using Mimics and 3-matic software (Materialise NV, Belgium, version 21.0) to calculate the apical surface area. Impaction level was categorised according to the Pell and Gregory classification system. Spearman’s correlation and Welch’s ANOVA were conducted to assess the relationship between ASAM and age and to compare ASAM across the four levels (A, B, modified B/C, and C). Differences between left and right IMTM were assessed using an independent t-test, and analysed with SPSS (version 26). Result ASAM showed an inverse correlation with age (ρ = −0.89, ρ 2 = 0.79), with a median of 4.86 mm2 (IQR: 2.35–11.92). The steepest decline was observed between 17–18 years, followed by a plateau from 21 years onwards. Left and right IMTM were not statistically different (p = 0.53) and subsequently pooled. ASAM increased with impaction depth; however, only level C exhibited significantly larger ASAM than levels A and B (p < 0.001), with an effect size of ω 2 = 0.13, indicating a notable delay in maturation. Conclusions This study demonstrates the relationship between ASAM in IMTM and age, with potential applicability in dental age estimation. However, caution is advised for level C impactions, as the estimated age may be biased.
New population-specific cephalic index standards for Malaysian subadults: prevalence, growth patterns, and clinical implications from a CT imaging study Sharifah Nabilah Syed Mohd Hamdan, Rabi’ah Al-Adawiyah Rahmat, Selva Malar Munusamy, Norliza Ibrahim Clinics, 2026 • Establishes the first cephalic index standards for multi-ethnic Malaysian subadults. • Reports a negative correlation between age and CI, with a decline of 0.026 yearly. • Shows higher CI values in Malaysians than in Caucasians and other Asian groups. • Provides a validated tool (ICC > 0.93) to track cranial growth and deformity severity. Population-specific Cephalic Index (CI) classifications are lacking for Malaysian subadults. This study aimed to develop a new CI classification and determine the prevalence of deformational brachycephaly using Computed Tomography (CT) images. A total of 520 CT images from subadults aged 0- to 20-years were included in the study. Two cranial measurements were obtained: the maximum Cephalic Length (CL) and the maximum Cephalic Width (CW), derived from axial CT images. The CI was subsequently calculated using the formula: CW/CL × 100. In addition, a simple linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between CI and age. The modified CI ranges for the Malaysian subadult population were defined as follows: dolichocephalic ≤ 78.8, mesocephalic 78.9–89.0, brachycephalic 89.1–94.0, and hyperbrachycephalic ≥ 94.1. The predictive equation derived was y = 87.08–0.47x +0.01× 2 (y = CI and x = Age in years). A significant negative correlation was found between age and CI ( r = -0.101, p < 0.001), with the index decreasing by approximately 0.026 per year. This indicates a natural trend towards a less brachycephalic head shape with maturation. This new, population-specific classification provides an essential reference tool for clinicians and researchers to accurately detect, manage, and treat cranial deformities in Malaysian subadults, with significant applications in pediatrics, anthropology, and forensic medicine.
Characterization of agglomerated incremental lines of tooth cementum subjected to various temperatures Faraz Mohammed, Rabiah Al-Adawiyah Rahmat, Wan NurHazirah Wan Ahmad Kamil, Bhaskar Dixit Chitradurga Subrahmanya, Sowriraajan Appathurai Venugopalan, Mohd Yusmiaidil Putera Mohd Yusof Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2025 Background Fire disasters have emerged as one of the most prevalent causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Under these conditions, individuals may be exposed to extremely high temperatures. Identifying such human remains in forensic investigations, particularly those subjected to extreme temperatures, is challenging yet crucial. This study aimed to investigate the impact of different temperatures on the morphological and histological features of the human dental cementum, with an emphasis on the agglomeration patterns of tooth cementum annulation (TCA). Results Extracted mandibular premolar teeth (n = 30) were divided into two groups, direct and protected exposure groups. The samples were heated at 300 °C, 600 °C, and 1200 °C for 40 min. Post-exposure morphological measurements and histological examinations were performed to assess the effects of thermal exposure. Distinct temperature-dependent changes in the tooth morphology and cementum structure were observed. At 300 °C, both direct and protected exposure samples exhibited minimal morphological changes with intact and countable TCA. Samples directly exposed to 600 °C exhibited significant structural damage and became extremely fragile, whereas the protected samples demonstrated partial preservation with agglomerated TCA. At 1200 °C, severe fragmentation and micro-fractures were observed, particularly in the directly exposed samples, rendering the TCA counting impractical. The differences in morphological changes between the direct and protected exposure groups were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusions This study highlights the resilience of the posterior teeth and the differential impacts of direct and protected thermal exposure. These results highlight the utility of TCA as a pathobiological marker for assessing the degree of thermal exposure in forensic settings. Moreover, understanding the morphological and histological alterations in dental cementum under varying temperatures can facilitate fire investigations by forensic odontologists.
A hybrid convolutional neural network model for dental age estimation using buccal alveolar bone level for Saudi children Seyed Matin Mazloom Nezhad, Erma Rahayu Mohd Faizal Abdullah, Norliza Ibrahim, Heba H. Bakhsh, Uzair Ishtiaq, Rabiah Al Adawiyah Rahmat, Sarah AlMugairin, Sara M. ElKhateeb BMC Oral Health, 2025 BACKGROUND: Age estimation is an essential task in medical dentistry and forensic sciences. Dental Age Estimation (DAE) is one of the most common methods for age estimation. Teeth are commonly used for age estimation because the schedules of tooth development and eruption are barely affected by the environment, nutrition, and socio-economic factors. However, conventional DAE methods are manually performed by clinicians, exposing bias and error to the estimated age. Moreover, the potentials of buccal alveolar bone level in DAE are rarely investigated. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of buccal alveolar bone level of mandibular posterior teeth in DAE using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for children. METHODS: A total of 421 Dental Panoramic Tomography (DPT) of children ranging from 5 to 15 years of age were used to train multiple UNet segmentation models. Segmented images of teeth were extracted and fed into a Localization Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to train them for measuring buccal alveolar bone level. Moreover, the buccal alveolar bone level measurements were then fed to the machine learning regression models for DAE. RESULT: The transfer learning based UNet with VGG16 as its backbone achieved the best performance with an IoU score of 0.66 and the best performing Localization CNN achieved Mean Squared Error (MSE) of 0.0009 and [Formula: see text] score of 0.8266. The Support Vector Machine (SVM) regression model achieved the best mean absolute error of 0.99 year. CONCLUSION: The results revealed the potential of buccal alveolar bone level for dental age estimation in children. Best performing model achieved an acceptable Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and similar results to Demirjian and London Atlas methods performed by human experts, showing promising results. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable.
Geometric morphometric analysis of mandibular morphology for age classification in Indonesian adolescents and adults Lusia Dinda Puspa Larasati, Arofi Kurniawan, An'nisaa Chusida, Beta Novia Rizky, Maria Istiqomah Marini, Queen Oceannia Arisa Putri, Aspalilah Alias, Rabiah Al-Adawiyah Rahmat, Anand Marya Journal of Oral Biology and Craniofacial Research, 2025 Introduction: : This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of geometric morphometric (GM) analysis of mandibular morphology on panoramic radiographs for classifying individuals as adolescents or adults. Methods: 300 digital panoramic radiographs were obtained from Airlangga University Dental Hospital in Surabaya and divided into adolescent (15.0-17.9 years) and adult (18.0-21.0 years) age groups. Each sample was assigned 27 anatomical landmarks and analyzed using MorphoJ software with generalized Procrustes analysis (GPA) and principal component analysis (PCA), while statistical evaluation included Procrustes analysis of variance (ANOVA) and discriminant function analysis (DFA). Results: GM analysis revealed statistically significant differences in mandibular morphology between adolescents and adults. However, Procrustes ANOVA did not show significant differences in mandibular size between the age groups. Variable mandibular morphology patterns were identified at the incisor point, mental foramen, gonion, and mandibular notch. The geometric morphometric method successfully identified the mandibular morphologies specific to each group, achieving 67 % and 65 % accuracy for the adult and adolescent groups, respectively. Conclusion: These findings underscore the potential of GM analysis of mandibular morphology for classifying individuals as adolescents or adults.
Sex estimation of the foramen magnum using computed tomography data in Malaysian juveniles Sharifah Nabilah Syed Mohd Hamdan, Rabi’ah Al-Adawiyah Rahmat, Norliza Ibrahim Medicine Science and the Law, 2025 This study assessed the potential of the foramen magnum (FM) in the Malaysian juvenile population to estimate sex using computed tomography (CT) data. A total of 200 (male = 100; female = 100) CT images of Malaysian individuals aged between 8 and 16 were retrieved. The maximum length (FML) and width (FMW), area (FMA 1 and FMA 2), and index (FMI) of the three-dimensional image of the FM were measured and analysed using Mimics software version 20 (Materialise N.V., Heverlee, Belgium). These metric data were then used to develop sex estimation models through discriminant function analysis (DFA) and binary logistic regression (BLR). The results showed that all measurements in males were significantly higher than in females ( p < 0.001), demonstrating a high potential for accurate sex classification. Additionally, females exhibited a wider FM than males, as indicated by the FM index. Based on univariate DFA analysis, FML and FMA 2 were identified as reliable variables for sex estimation, achieving an accuracy of 68.5% with a low sex bias rate of 1.2%. The multivariate DFA yielded a higher accuracy of 70.5% compared to the univariate analysis. Similarly, univariate and multivariate BLR analyses demonstrated comparable accuracies of 68.5%. Overall, the DFA showed greater accuracy and lower sex bias across all cases, including original and validation samples. This study suggests that FM parameters can complement existing sex estimation methods and be integrated with other techniques to improve skeletal sex determination.
Morphometric variations of three sub-adult populations in Malaysia using multi-slice computed tomography data Sharifah Nabilah Syed Mohd Hamdan, Rabiah Al-Adawiyah Rahmat, Fathilah Abdul Razak, Khairul Azmi Abd Kadir, Erma Rahayu Mohd Faizal Abdullah, Norliza Ibrahim Folia Morphologica Poland, 2025 BACKGROUND: This study was aimed to determine differences in cranial measurements in three sub-adult populations in Malaysia using multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) data. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 521 cranial MSCT datasets of Malaysian sub-adults (0-20 years old) consisting of Malay, Chinese, and Indian populations were analysed and constructed into three-dimensional (3D) cranial models using Mimics software version 21. 14 selected craniometric parameters were measured on the 3D models, adhering to the plane-to plane protocol. All measurements were statistically analysed using discriminant function analysis. RESULTS: Cranial measurements such as maximum cranial width, biasteronic width, and occipital chord showed significant differences among Malays, Chinese, and Indians. In addition, a high similarity of the measurements between Chinese and Malays compared to Indians and Malays, and to Chinese and Indians, was demonstrated. The highest classification accuracy was obtained in the age group of 10-12 years, with Indians achieving the highest accuracy (72.2%), followed by Chinese (71.8%) and Malays (58.3%). The accuracy percentages between the pooled-sex and male/female formulas were relatively similar. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated the presence of morphometric variations among three different sub-adult populations in Malaysia using MSCT datasets.
Radiomorphometric analysis of mandibular symphysis and ramus heights on panoramic radiographs for sex determination in Surabaya, Indonesia Bulletin of the International Association for Paleodontology, 2025
The applicability of Demirjian's and Nolla's dental age estimation methods for children in Surabaya, Indonesia* Bulletin of the International Association for Paleodontology, 2025
Freeze-drying improves DNA yield from teeth Rabiah A. Rahmat, Melissa A. Humphries, Adrian M.T. Linacre, Arif Malik, Nor A. Saedon, Jeremy J. Austin Forensic Science International, 2021
Regression models to predict cranial vault thickness for subadults: A computed tomography study GX You, DEL Jue, M Humphries, SNSM Hamdan, M Gohain, MRA Kadir, ... Asian Journal of Surgery , 2026 2026
New population-specific cephalic index standards for Malaysian subadults: prevalence, growth patterns, and clinical implications from a CT imaging study SNSM Hamdan, RAA Rahmat, SM Munusamy, N Ibrahim Clinics 81, 100855 , 2026 2026 Citations: 1
Legal age estimation using developing mandibular third molar roots of various developmental stages in Malaysian population: a CBCT study GA Abbas, RAA Rahmat, AHA Rahim, M Abdullah, ZM Zaini, MK Asif, ... Legal Medicine, 102742 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Geometric morphometric analysis of mandibular morphology for age classification in Indonesian adolescents and adults LDP Larasati, A Kurniawan, A Chusida, BN Rizky, MI Marini, QOA Putri, ... Journal of Oral Biology and Craniofacial Research 15 (6), 1518-1525 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Sex estimation of the foramen magnum using computed tomography data in Malaysian juveniles. SMH SN, RA Rahmat, N Ibrahim Medicine, Science, and the law, 258024251380960-258024251380960 , 2025 2025
Relationships among apical surface area, impaction level, and age in impacted mandibular third molars: a CBCT study GA Abbas, RAA Rahmat, AH Abdul Rahim, M Gohain, A Kurniawan, ... Oral Radiology, 1-8 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
A hybrid convolutional neural network model for dental age estimation using buccal alveolar bone level for Saudi children SM Mazloom Nezhad, ER Mohd Faizal Abdullah, N Ibrahim, HH Bakhsh, ... BMC Oral Health 25 (1), 1331 , 2025 2025 Citations: 5
Impact of Informal Training and Pairing on Dental Age Estimation Proficiency Among Dental Health Practitioners: A Pilot Study AHA Rahim, WHN Hau, SKW Hooi, RAA Rahmat The Malaysian Journal of Pathology 47 (2), 322-323 , 2025 2025
Determining Juvenile vs. Adult Status Using Impacted Mandibular Third Molar: A CBCT Study RAA Rahmat, GA Abbas, AHA Rahim, M Abdullah, ZM Zaini, N Ibrahim The Malaysian Journal of Pathology 47 (2), 322-322 , 2025 2025
Characterization of agglomerated incremental lines of tooth cementum subjected to various temperatures F Mohammed, R Al-Adawiyah Rahmat, WNH Wan Ahmad Kamil, ... Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences 15 (1), 51 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Machine learning methods for sex estimation of sub-adults using cranial computed tomography images. SN Syed Mohd Hamdan, ER Mohd Faizal Abdullah, KJ Wen, ... Anthropologischer Anzeiger 82 (3) , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
The applicability of Demirjian’s and Nolla’s dental age estimation methods for children in Surabaya, Indonesia A Kurniawan, A Chusida, MI Marini, BN Rizky, BFWR Prakoeswa, ... Bulletin of the International Association for Paleodontology 19 (1) , 2025 2025
Sex estimation of the foramen magnum using computed tomography data in Malaysian juveniles SN Syed Mohd Hamdan, RAA Rahmat, N Ibrahim Medicine, Science and the Law, 00258024251380960 , 2025 2025
Morphometric variations of three sub-adult populations in Malaysia using multi-slice computed tomography data SNSM Hamdan, RAA Rahmat, FA Razak, KA Abd Kadir, ERMF Abdullah, ... Folia Morphologica 84 (3), 718-730 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Computed tomography study of cranial vault thickness in Malaysian subadult population SN Syed Mohd Hamdan, Z Radzi, AH Abdul Rahim, RAA Rahmat, ... International Journal of Legal Medicine 138 (6), 2625-2633 , 2024 2024 Citations: 2
Diagnostic models to predict nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA recovery from incinerated teeth RA Rahmat, MA Humphries, NA Saedon, PG Self, AMT Linacre International Journal of Legal Medicine 137 (5), 1353-1360 , 2023 2023 Citations: 2
Sex estimation of Malaysian sub-adults using craniometrics: a computed tomography study SNSM Hamdan, RAA Rahmat, FA Razak, KA Abd Kadir, ERMF Abdullah, ... Legal Medicine 64, 102275 , 2023 2023 Citations: 5
Forensic age estimation: Forensic odontology RAA Rahmat, P Nambiar Clinicopathological Correlation of Oral Diseases, 741-750 , 2023 2023 Citations: 3
Physicomechanical properties of cobalt-chromium removable partial denture palatal major connectors fabricated by selective laser melting S Salim, NM Salleh, ZZ Abidin, N Yunus, R Rahmat, N Ibrahim The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry 128 (3), 530. e1-530. e7 , 2022 2022 Citations: 16
Freeze-drying improves DNA yield from teeth RA Rahmat, MA Humphries, AMT Linacre, A Malik, NA Saedon, JJ Austin Forensic Science International 326, 110938 , 2021 2021 Citations: 3
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Comparison of anterior and posterior trabecular bone microstructure of human mandible using cone-beam CT and micro CT N Ibrahim, A Parsa, B Hassan, P van der Stelt, RA Rahmat, SM Ismail, ... BMC Oral Health 21 (1), 249 , 2021 2021 Citations: 23
Physicomechanical properties of cobalt-chromium removable partial denture palatal major connectors fabricated by selective laser melting S Salim, NM Salleh, ZZ Abidin, N Yunus, R Rahmat, N Ibrahim The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry 128 (3), 530. e1-530. e7 , 2022 2022 Citations: 16
A comparative study between xerographic, computer-assisted overlay generation and animated-superimposition methods in bite mark analyses MW Tai, ZF Chong, MK Asif, RA Rahmat, P Nambiar Legal Medicine 22, 42-48 , 2016 2016 Citations: 14
The utilization of small amounts of residual endodontic material for dental identification JW Berketa, C Sims, RAAB Rahmat The Journal of forensic odonto-stomatology 37 (1), 63 , 2019 2019 Citations: 13
Integrating spectrophotometric and XRD analyses in the investigation of burned dental remains RA Rahmat, MA Humphries, JJ Austin, AMT Linacre, M Raven, P Self Forensic science international 310, 110236 , 2020 2020 Citations: 12
A hybrid convolutional neural network model for dental age estimation using buccal alveolar bone level for Saudi children SM Mazloom Nezhad, ER Mohd Faizal Abdullah, N Ibrahim, HH Bakhsh, ... BMC Oral Health 25 (1), 1331 , 2025 2025 Citations: 5
Sex estimation of Malaysian sub-adults using craniometrics: a computed tomography study SNSM Hamdan, RAA Rahmat, FA Razak, KA Abd Kadir, ERMF Abdullah, ... Legal Medicine 64, 102275 , 2023 2023 Citations: 5
Forensic age estimation: Forensic odontology RAA Rahmat, P Nambiar Clinicopathological Correlation of Oral Diseases, 741-750 , 2023 2023 Citations: 3
Freeze-drying improves DNA yield from teeth RA Rahmat, MA Humphries, AMT Linacre, A Malik, NA Saedon, JJ Austin Forensic Science International 326, 110938 , 2021 2021 Citations: 3
The development of a tool to predict temperature-exposure of incinerated teeth using colourimetric and hydroxyapatite crystal size data RA Rahmat, MA Humphries, JJ Austin, AMT Linacre, P Self International Journal of Legal Medicine 135 (5), 2045-2053 , 2021 2021 Citations: 3
Computed tomography study of cranial vault thickness in Malaysian subadult population SN Syed Mohd Hamdan, Z Radzi, AH Abdul Rahim, RAA Rahmat, ... International Journal of Legal Medicine 138 (6), 2625-2633 , 2024 2024 Citations: 2
Diagnostic models to predict nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA recovery from incinerated teeth RA Rahmat, MA Humphries, NA Saedon, PG Self, AMT Linacre International Journal of Legal Medicine 137 (5), 1353-1360 , 2023 2023 Citations: 2
New population-specific cephalic index standards for Malaysian subadults: prevalence, growth patterns, and clinical implications from a CT imaging study SNSM Hamdan, RAA Rahmat, SM Munusamy, N Ibrahim Clinics 81, 100855 , 2026 2026 Citations: 1
Legal age estimation using developing mandibular third molar roots of various developmental stages in Malaysian population: a CBCT study GA Abbas, RAA Rahmat, AHA Rahim, M Abdullah, ZM Zaini, MK Asif, ... Legal Medicine, 102742 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Geometric morphometric analysis of mandibular morphology for age classification in Indonesian adolescents and adults LDP Larasati, A Kurniawan, A Chusida, BN Rizky, MI Marini, QOA Putri, ... Journal of Oral Biology and Craniofacial Research 15 (6), 1518-1525 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Relationships among apical surface area, impaction level, and age in impacted mandibular third molars: a CBCT study GA Abbas, RAA Rahmat, AH Abdul Rahim, M Gohain, A Kurniawan, ... Oral Radiology, 1-8 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Characterization of agglomerated incremental lines of tooth cementum subjected to various temperatures F Mohammed, R Al-Adawiyah Rahmat, WNH Wan Ahmad Kamil, ... Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences 15 (1), 51 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Machine learning methods for sex estimation of sub-adults using cranial computed tomography images. SN Syed Mohd Hamdan, ER Mohd Faizal Abdullah, KJ Wen, ... Anthropologischer Anzeiger 82 (3) , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Morphometric variations of three sub-adult populations in Malaysia using multi-slice computed tomography data SNSM Hamdan, RAA Rahmat, FA Razak, KA Abd Kadir, ERMF Abdullah, ... Folia Morphologica 84 (3), 718-730 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Attributes of a Competent Forensic Odontologist. RA Rahmat, H James, P Nambiar Malaysian Dental Journal 37 (1) , 2015 2015 Citations: 1