Dental maturation in British children: are Demirjian's standards applicable?

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine if the standards of dental maturation of Demirjian et al. (1973, 1976) are applicable to British children.

Design: The design was cross-sectional, retrospective.

Sample and method: The sample comprised 521 London children of Bangladeshi and white Caucasian (English, Welsh and Scottish) origin aged between 4 and 9 years. Dental age was assessed by crown and root stages of seven mandibular teeth from rotational pantomographs. Dental age was compared to chronological age using a t-test.

Results: Differences in dental maturation between the two ethnic groups were not significant. British children as a group were dentally advanced compared to the Canadian standards. The mean (+/- standard deviation) advancement in girls was 0.51 +/- 0.79 years and in boys was 0.73 +/- 0.73 years.

Conclusions: The standards of dental maturation described by Demirjian et al. (1973, 1976) may not be suitable for British children.