مجله دانشکده دندانپزشکی اصفهان (Jan 2012)
Evaluation of the accuracy of Demirjian method in estimating chronologic ages of 5-17 year-old children and adolescents in Babol
Abstract
AbstractIntroduction: Age estimation is important in many fields, including pediatrics, forensic medicine, orthodontics, etc. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of dental age estimation in 5-17 year-old children in Babol using Demirjian method.Materials and Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study 301 panoramic radiographs of 183 girls and 118 boys referring to Babol dental clinics were evaluated. Simple sampling method was used. Based on Demirjian method two dental radiologists calculated the dental maturity score (DMS) by assessing the seven left mandibular teeth and estimated the dental age for each case. The chronologic age of each patient was obtained from demographic data. Finally, the correlation between estimated dental age and chronologic age was determined by Pearson’s correlation coefficient using SPSS statistical software (α = 0.05). Results: Mean dental age in all the subjects was estimated 0.04 year less than the chronologic age. Pearson’s correlation coefficient between estimated and chronological ages was 0.968, indicating statistical significance (p value < 0.001). In addition, there was no significant difference between estimated and chronological ages (p value = 0.31). Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, Demirjian method is sufficiently accurate to estimate dental age of children in Babol is and can be used acceptably. Key words: Age, Dental age, Dental calcification.
