Correlation between Skeletal Maturation and Developmental Stages of Canines and Second Molars among Iranian Population

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Growth assessment has become an important issue in many medical and dental fields. Determining the stages of dental development and skeletal maturation are essential methods in evaluation of growth phases. PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the relationship between developmental stages of maxillary and mandibular canines and second molars by Nolla’s method and skeletal maturation stages by cervical vertebral maturation. In addition, diagnostic performances of dental developmental stages were evaluated to identify growth phases. MATERIALS AND METHOD: In this descriptive-analytical study, 201 digital panoramic and lateral cephalometry of children referred to the Orthodontic Department of Babol Dental School (8 to 15 years) were examined. The stages of dental development were determined by Nolla’s method, and the stages of skeletal development were determined by cervical vertebral maturation stages (CVMs). Positive likelihood ratio (LHR+) was used to determine the diagnostic performances to identify growth phases. The Kendall's Tau-b correlation coefficient was used to measure the association between the CVM stages and dental calcification stages. In this study, p ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The relationship between dental development and skeletal maturation in different teeth was significant (p ≤ 0.05). Kendall's Tau-b correlation coefficient between the stages of dental development and skeletal maturity in girls ranged from 0.578 - 0.634 and in boys ranged from 0.588 - 0.655. The right second molar in maxilla presented the highest correlation coefficient. The right and left second molars in maxilla and left second molar in mandible in stage 5 had the highest LHR+ to identify the pre-pubertal growth phase. CONCLUSION: Despite the high correlation coefficient between dental development and skeletal maturity, the LHR+ for determining growth stages in only a small number of teeth was more than 10.