Quantitative determination of skeletal age using cervical vertebral dimensions

ABSTRACT

Purpose

This study aimed to compare skeletal age determination by using the ratio of third and fourth cervical vertebral dimensions (CVDs) versus the cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) method in an Iranian population.

Materials and methods

Lateral cephalometric radiographs of 240 patients were evaluated in this cross sectional study. The samples were classified into three groups (n = 80) of pre-peak of mandibular growth period (group 1), peak of mandibular growth period (group 2), and post-peak of mandibular growth period (group 3) according to the CVM stage. The dimensions of the third and fourth cervical vertebrae were measured. The anterior vertebral body height (AH) was divided by the anteroposterior vertebral body length (AP). The summation of the AH:AP ratio of C3 and C4 was calculated and reported as the SV. The correlation of SVs of 240 patients with their CVM stage was investigated. P-value less than 0.05 is statistically significant.

Results

SVs had a significant correlation with the CVM groups (P < 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) was high for discrimination of group 1 from group 2 (AUC = 0.9776; 95% CI = 0.9448–0.9960), and also group 2 from group 3 (AUC = 0.9848; 95% CI = 0.9539–0.9984). The Youden index specified SVs of 1.29 and 1.61 as the best cut-off points for discriminating group 1 from group 2, and group 2 from group 3, respectively.

Conclusions

The two determined cut-off points could discriminate the groups with high sensitivity and specificity. Accordingly, we can use the CVD to determine the patients’ mandibular growth status.

KEYWORDS:

• Skeletal age
• mandibular growth peak
• cervical vertebral dimensions

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical approval statement

The project has been accepted in Research Ethics Committee, Dental Research Center, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences .No:IR.SBMU.DRC.REC.1397.005

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Dental Research Center, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.