The association between chronological age, skeletal maturity and dental maturity

Brenda Lee Cutajar, Fraser McDonald, Graham Roberts, Victoria Lucas, Simon Camilleri*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to analyse the correlation between skeletal and dental maturity. Materials and methods: The Dental Panoramic Tomogram and Lateral Skull Radiographs of 381 subjects aged between 8.20 years and 17.96 years were examined. Calcification stages of all the teeth on the left hand side and all third molars were determined according to Demirjian’s 8-stages, whilst the Cervical Vertebral Maturation (CVM) Index was adopted for the assessment of skeletal maturity. Dental age (DA) was determined using the simple weighted average method. Results: There was no significant difference between DA and chronological age (CA) of the male and female groups. The Spearman rank correlation between CA and CVM was moderate, whilst the correlation between DA and CVM was weak. A moderate correlation was found between the dental calcification stages and CVM for the upper right third molar in males. Conclusions: The average CA of females at every CVM stage was below that of males, confirming that females undergo earlier skeletal maturation. The similarity between CA and DA confirms that CA can be closely approximated by DA. The low correlations between CA and DA with CVM suggest that these variables should not be used in determining the growth status or potential of the individual.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)167-173
Number of pages7
JournalAustralasian Orthodontic Journal
Volume35
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2019

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The association between chronological age, skeletal maturity and dental maturity'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this