Age estimation through third molar analysis using the Kullman method among Brazilians

•Kullman's age estimation method, not yet applied in Brazil, was tested in a Brazilian population.•The study was carried out in a population close to the legal age of the majority in Brazil (18 years old).•The prediction models result in high rates of overestimation of age.•The method should not be used alone to estimate the age of individuals in the population in question. : this study aimed to estimate age in individuals in a population, creating models for calculating age, the root development table made by Kullman and collaborators in 1992. : five hundred panoramic radiographs of patients between 15 and 24 years old were used to verify whether there is a relationship between the steps described by Kullman et al. and the chronological age. At 17 years old, it was already possible to find lower third molars who completed their development process. A regression model was created to predict age based on the stage of the third molars at the exam. : the determination coefficients did not exceed 0,46, having a strong tendency to overestimate values. : the use of the method as mentioned above is not recommended to estimate the age in the studied population, taking into account their peculiarities, such as the variation of years found for the average age calculated for each of the groups and their stages, and it should not be applied alone as a predictor of age. [Display omitted]