Relationships among chronological age, dental age, and bone age in Thai prepubertal females
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Abstract
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between dental age, skeletal age, and chronological age in Thai girls during the prepubertal period, and to identify dental indicators for assessing advanced bone age.
Materials and methods: This retrospective study examined panoramic and hand-wrist radiographs of Thai girls aged 8-10 years, with images taken within a 3-month interval. Dental age was assessed using Demirjian et al. ’s method by two calibrated dentists. Bone age was determined using BoneXpert® software based on the Greulich & Pyle Atlas. Spearman correlation analyzed relationships among chronological age, skeletal age, and dental age. Subjects were categorized as normal, advanced, or delayed based on dental or bone age relative to chronological age. Chi-square test analyzed the relationship between bone age and dental age groups. Descriptive analysis identified potential tooth indicators for bone age assessment.
Results: Significant positive correlations were found among chronological age, dental age, and bone age (p < 0.01). Correlation coefficients were 0.597 between chronological and dental age, 0.570 between chronological and bone age, and 0.560 between dental and bone age. Chi-square tests revealed a significant association between bone age groups and dental age groups (p = 0.001). Subjects with advanced bone age demonstrated higher percentages of advanced second molar development compared to those with normal bone age.
Conclusions: This study demonstrated positive correlations among chronological age, dental age, and bone age in Thai prepubertal females, with the correlation between dental age and bone age being rated as moderate. Advanced bone age was associated with accelerated second molar development, suggesting its potential as an indicator for skeletal maturity assessment.
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