Background: Age determination of a person involved in judicial or legal proceedings is crucial information that helps to identify the culprit. Oral exfoliative cytology is a non-invasive, inexpensive, pain-free technique for the collection of intact cells from the epithelial strata. In the past, normal exfoliated cells from healthy individuals have been subjected to cytomorphometric analysis. Hence, exfoliative cytology is an upcoming relevant tool for age estimation in forensic science.
Aim: To evaluate age estimation by oral exfoliative cytology using cytomorphometry in published literature from 2000-2021.
Materials and method: A literature search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar from 1st January 2000 to 5th September 2021 using the key words “age determination and oral exfoliative cytology/cells” and “forensics and/or healthy individuals.”
Results and conslusion: A total of 7 original studies fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. This poster will be an attempt to systematically review those articles and present the data reemphasizing the role of oral exfoliative cytology in forensics.
Keywords: Oral exfoliative cytology, oral exfoliated cells, age determination; cytomorphometry