What is the Project AIdentifyAGE?
The knowledge and the proof of age are indispensable and invaluable for all human beings. The forensic age estimation (FAE) has played an increasingly important judicial role, not only in the forensic identification of cadavers, but also in living individuals, minors and undocumented. FAE may have to be performed in cases of human trafficking, asylum seekers and migrants, child labour, sexual abuse, conscription of children in armed conflicts, juvenile delinquency, and crime.
The main goal of this first project is to use the range of age until 23 years old with dental growth staging techniques. the development of a new methodology to fill this gap is of great scientific importance and practical application. This study is to show emerging applications of deep learning technology in a new field: DAA imaging on 2D data from panoramic radiographs.
AIdentifyAGE project is financed under grant 2024.07444.IACDC, within the scope of the investment “RE-C05-i08 – More Digital Science”, measure “RE-C05-i08.M04 – “Support a program of R&D projects for development and implementation of advanced cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and data science systems in public administration, as well as a scientific capacitation program”, within the scope of the agreement between the Recover Portugal Mission Structure and the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia I.P. (FCT), as an intermediary beneficiary.
Additional Information
For further details and related resources, please visit:
https://sciproj.ptcris.pt/176784PRJ
https://github.com/AIdentifyAGE
Evaluation of the Final Report submitted on 14th of April 2026
Excellent
The project aimed at developing AI based tools for dental age assessment in living individuals, a field for which accurate and reproducible approaches are needed; for the work, the project utilized orthopantomograms (OPGs) from individuals until 23 years of age. An important bank of radiographic images was structured containing more than 10.000 OPGs; statistical analysis and computational tools validated AI models with the best overall performance. Several digital infrastructures were established and the project logo registered with the Portuguese Institute of Industrial Property. The work carried out by the team reflects a solid engagement with the proposed research questions and confirms their capacity to implement the methodologies and approaches outlined in the initial proposal. In particular, the project has generated data and analyses that contribute to the advancement of the knowledge within the field, and it is evident that the team possesses the technical competences and organizational structure required to conduct such work. The ability to deliver tangible outputs-whether in the form of datasets, AI models, or international publications-indicates that the project has progressed beyond a purely conceptual stage and has entered a phase of concrete scientific production. The number of international publications (n=7) exceeded the proposed number (n=3). Several websites have been created within the activities of the project. The results of the project have been disseminated at multiple specific meetings.
From a strategic perspective, the project would benefit from a clearer positioning within the broader scientific landscape. Additional publications may be derived from further exploration of the accumulated data. In conclusion, the project represents a credible and valuable scientific effort. The objectives have been met to a large extent, and the results obtained confirm the team’s ability to conduct meaningful research. Of high relevance is that the project developed solutions for legal frameworks designed in accordance with the principles of the European Ethical Charter on the use of AI in Judicial Systems. The results from the AldentifyAGE project will have a promising impact for the use of AI in forensic dental age assessment.