Evaluation of Skeletal and Dental Maturity in Relation to Vertical Facial Types and the Sex of Growing Children

The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the skeletal and dental maturity according to the vertical facial type and sex in Korean children in the developmental stage. In total, 184 participants aged 8 - 14 years were selected and divided into three groups based on the mandibular plane angle. For the comparison between the sexes, the three groups were each divided into male and female subgroups. The skeletal and dental maturity were assessed using lateral cephalograms, hand-wrist radiographs and panoramic radiographs. The vertical growth group showed significantly greater cervical vertebral and hand-wrist maturity than that in the horizontal growth group. Dental maturity was the highest in the vertical growth group. Girls showed greater skeletal maturity than boys, and no distinct difference was observed between the dental maturity of the sexes. Analysis of the vertical facial type in children can provide ancillary indicators that may help determine the optimal timing for orthodontic treatment initiation. Earlier initiation of orthodontic treatment may be considered for patients with vertical facial growth patterns.

Assessing the association between vitamin D receptor and dental age variability

Objectives To explore the association between genetic polymorphisms in vitamin D receptor (VDR), vitamin D serum levels, and variability in dental age. Material and methods This cross-sectional study was based on an oral examination, panoramic radiograph analysis, and genotype analysis from biological samples. Dental age was evaluated using two different methods: Demirjian et al. (Hum Biol 45:211–227, 1973) and Hofmann et al. (J Orofac Orthop.78:97–111, 2017). The genetic polymorphisms BglI (rs739837) and FokI (rs2228570) in VDR were genotyped through real-time PCR. The vitamin D level was also measured in the serum. Delta (dental age–chronological age) was compared among genotypes in VDR in the co-dominant model. Multiple linear regression analysis was also performed. An established alpha of 5% was used. Results Genotype distributions of BglI and FokI were not associated with dental maturity (p > 0.05). In the logistic regression analyses, genotypes in BglI and FokI and vitamin D levels were not associated with variability in dental age (p > 0.05). Conclusions The genetic polymorphisms BglI and FokI in VDR and the vitamin D levels were not associated with variability in dental age. Clinical relevance To unravel the factors involved in dental maturity can improve dental treatment planning in pediatric and orthodontic practice.

Clinical Implications of Growth Hormone Deficiency for Oral Health in Children: A Systematic Review

Growth hormone (GH) is involved in the regulation of the postnatal dental and skeletal growth, but its effects on oral health have not been clearly defined. This paper aims to provide a review of current clinical knowledge of dental caries, tooth wear, developmental enamel defects, craniofacial growth and morphology, dental maturation, and tooth eruption in growth hormone deficient (GHD) children. A systematic review was carried out using Scopus, MEDLINE-EbscoHost and Web of Science from 2000 to May 2021. PRISMA guidelines for reporting systematic reviews were followed. All the selected studies involved groups under eighteen years of age, covering a total of 465 GHD patients. The studies that were selected provide reliable evidence for delayed dental maturity and orthodontic disturbances in GHD patients. Data on dental hard tissues pathology are scarce and are limited to occurrences of dental caries. GHD children showed abnormal craniofacial morphology with reduced mandibular dimensions, with a resulting tendency towards Angle’s Class II occlusion, which affected up to 31% of patients. Dental age has been shown to be delayed in GHD patients by about 1 to 2 years. Moreover, the risk of dental caries in children with GHD decreases with increasing levels of vitamin D. Hence, further studies would be valuable for evaluating the risk of various oral health problems and to organize targeted dental care for this vulnerable group.

Evaluation of Dental Maturity Using the Demirjian’s Method in Romanian Children

Demirjian’s method is the most frequently used method of dental maturity estimation. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of the method in a sample of Romanian children. The study was conducted on X-rays of 126 children with ages ranging from 5 to 15 years old. Dental age was determined and t-tests were used to assess the difference between dental age and chronological age within each age category. The boys in our study have advanced dental age in all age groups, while the girls have only in the age categories 7 to 8 years, 9 to 10 years and 11 to 12 years. The results of our study show that the method is appropriate for Romanian children and that these standards are applicable only in certain age groups. Further research is required on a larger sample.

TEETH AS A TOOL IN AGE ESTIMATION: A REVIEW

Age estimation is essential in the eld of forensic sciences for the identication of diseased victims and also for crimes and accidents. Dental maturity plays an important role in estimating the age of individuals because of the low variability of dental indicators. Chronological age, recorded by registration of birth date, is referred throughout an individual's life. Age is an essential factor not only in clinical practice & research but also in the court of law. Dental age is vital as tooth development shows less variability than other developmental features and hence the different age estimation methods using dental tissues and their eruption sequence of the teeth became crucial in establishing the age of an individual especially those persons in the interest of forensic science. This paper discusses different methods of age estimation using teeth as possible indicator for the biological age, growth & development of the body.

Deep orofacial phenotyping of population-based infants with isolated cleft lip and isolated cleft palate

Isolated orofacial clefts (OFC) are common with poorly understood aetiology. Heterogeneous phenotypes and subphenotypes confound aetiological variant findings. To improve OFC phenome understanding, population-based, consecutive, pre-treatment infants with isolated unilateral cleft lip (UCL, n = 183) and isolated cleft palate (CP, n = 83) of similar ancestry were grouped for deep phenotyping. Subphenotypes stratified by gender and cleft severity were evaluated for primary dental malformations and maturation using radiographs. We found that cleft severity and tooth agenesis were inadequate to distinguish heterogeneity in infants with UCL and CP. Both groups featured slow dental maturity, significantly slower in males and the UCL phenotype. In 32.8% of infants with UCL, supernumerary maxillary lateral incisors were present on the cleft lip side, but not in infants with CP, suggesting a cleft dental epithelium and forme fruste cleft dentoalveolus of the UCL subphenotype. The findings underscored the importance of deep phenotyping to disclose occult OFC subphenotypes.

Dental maturity in children with celiac disease: a case–control study

Background Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-related enteropathy triggered by gluten ingestion in susceptible individuals. Oral manifestations of CD have been frequently described, although reports on dental maturity (DM) are scant. Thus, the aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of DM in CD patients and to test for possible predictors. Methods This is a case–control study of children with CD and healthy controls between 2017 and 2020. A panoramic radiograph and comprehensive oral examination were performed for each participant. Dental age (DA) was measured according to Demirjian’s method and DM was calculated by subtracting the chronological age (CA) from the DA. Statistical analysis was performed to compare the DM between CD patients and controls, and a multivariate analysis was utilized to look for predictors of DM. Results Two-hundred and eight participants (104 children with CD, and 104 healthy controls) were incorporated. The mean age for CD patients was 10.67 ± 2.40 years, and 10.69 ± 2.37 years for healthy controls (P = 0.971). CD patients had a higher prevalence of delayed DM than controls (62.5% vs. 3%, respectively). They also had a greater delay in DM than controls (− 7.94 ± 10.94 vs. 6.99 ± 8.77, P < 0.001). A multivariate analysis identified age between 6 and 7 years (β ± SE = 16.21 ± 2.58, P < 0.001), as the only predictor for DM. Conclusions CD patients had a greater prevalence of delayed DM than controls. No predictors for DM could be found, except young age.

Evaluation of Characteristics of the Dental Maturity in Girls with Precocious Puberty

Precocious puberty (PP) is defined as the early development of secondary sexual characteristics (before the ages of 8 years in girls and 9 years in boys). The aim of this study is to identify characteristics of the dental maturity in girls with PP that discriminate them from normal healthy girls.This study included 99 girls aged 6 - 8 years with PP and 99 girls without past medical history of same chronological age (control group). The study was performed on 198 panoramic radiographs (99 PP girls, 99 control group girls). Demirjian method was used to evaluate the panoramic radiographs and determine dental maturity. Difference in dental maturity score and tooth formation stages between the two groups were analyzed.The PP group showed significant higher maturity score than control group. Among mandibular teeth, mandibular 2nd premolar and 2nd molar were significantly more mature in the PP group than control group. Logistic regression analysis showed that mandibular 2nd molar was only significant predictor for PP girls.