Skeletal Maturity Prediction Using Radiographs of the Medial Phalanx of the Third Finger

Abstract

Introduction: Chronological age alone is not sufficient for assessing the developmental stage of agrowing child; hence, many skeletal maturity indicators have been proposed. Periapical radiography is thepreferred imaging technique in dental clinics and can be used as an alternative diagnostic tool for maturityprediction. The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between modified periapical andcephalometric methods for predicting skeletal maturation in children.Methods: Children who required a maturity analysis for orthodontic treatment planning were included inthis study. Cephalometric radiographies were obtained from the clinics of orthodontics. The medialphalanges of the third finger (MP3) regions of 150 children (70 males, 80 females) between the ages of 8and 18 years (mean = 13.47±3.08) were imaged in pediatric dentistry clinics. For cephalometric andperiapical images, maturity was assessed using Baccetti et al.’s, and Rajagopal and Kansal’s analyses,respectively. Spearman correlation coefficients were used to evaluate associations between skeletal stageswith significance levels set at p<0.01 and <0.05.Findings: There was a significant correlation between cervical vertebrae and MP3 analyses for all groups(p<0.001) with the exception of 10-year-old children (r=0.523, p>0.05).Conclusion: The MP3 method is a useful tool for the assessment of maturity in children as there is noneed for special equipment and because of its relatively easy system for determining stages.