Age estimation has important clinical application value in stomatology, especially in pediatric and adolescent orthodontic treatment. Through the assessment of dental age and bone age, clinicians can accurately determine the growth and development stage, so as to optimize the timing of treatment and treatment scheme. However, the current age estimation methods still hanve deficiencies in aspects such as regional adaptability, prediction accuracy, and technology integration, and thus urgently need to be optimized. This article reviews the principle, development status and application of different age estimation methods in orthodontic treatment, analyzes the deficiencies of current research, discusses the future optimization direction, and provides scientific basis for the precision and personalization of orthodontic treatment.