Dental Maturity a biologic indicator of c hronological age: Digital radiographic study to assess Dental age in Romanian children

Abstract

The assessment of dental age is useful in the planning of orthodontic treatment, in pediatric dentistry, pediatric endocrinology and forensic medicine. It also adds important knowledge of growth and development to human biology. The aim of our study was to investigate the applicability of Demirjian method for estimation of dental age in Romanian children and if the tables developed for French Canadian population are not applicable, to develop new equation and tables for our boys and girls. Our survey was conducted on a final sample of 441 radiographs of patients aged between 5.5 and 14.5 years (218 girls and 223 boys). The sample was divided in groups, considering an age interval of one year. All dental pantomograms were scored by two examiners and intra and inter examiner calibration was made. We used dedicated software for scoring, dental age determination and for creating a database. A paired t test was used to assess any difference between chronological and dental age. On average, the Romanian girls showed an overestimation of 0,36 years, meaning 132 days, p=0,129, α = 0.05 and boys an underestimation of 0.04 years, meaning 15 days, p = 0.852, α = 0.05. New tables were developed in order to convert dental maturity calculated according to Demirjian method into dental age of contemporary Romanian children. Keywords—Demirjian method, dental age tables, diagnostic imaging, digital tools, Romanian children sample.