Dental maturity in children of short stature--a two-year longitudinal study of growth hormone substitution.

The aim of this investigation was to present the 2-year follow-up results of a longitudinal study examining the influence of growth hormone (GH) substitution on dental maturity in healthy children of short stature (height <2 SD). At baseline, the children were divided into a GH-deficient group and a GH non-deficient group, and comparisons were made with healthy controls (height between -2 SD and 2 SD) and between the short stature groups. The GH-substituted group included 24 children (8 F, 16 M) with a mean chronological age of 12.20 +/- 2.40 years, whereas the GH non-substituted group included 19 children (5 F, 14 M) with a mean chronological age of 11.00 +/- 2.40 years. The corresponding age- and sex-matched control groups constituted 48 and 36 children, respectively. The mean dental age in the GH-substituted group was 11.60 +/- 2.70 years, compared to their healthy controls 12.40 +/- 2.60 years (P< 0.05). The dental age for the GH non-substituted children was 10.20 +/- 2.60 years compared to their controls 11.90 +/- 2.60 years (P< 0.001). GH-substituted children show an acceleration in their dental maturity in contrast to controls, whereas in non-substituted children the acceleration is less pronounced.