INTRODUCTION: It is important to evaluate skeletal maturation in orthodontic treatment. Hand-wrist and cervical maturation stages have been shown to be correlated with skeletal growth changes during puberty. The cervical vertebrae have 6 maturation phases, whereas the medial phalange of the third finger has 5 stages; a modified version has 6 stages. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation of the cervical vertebrae maturation index with the modified medial phalange index. METHODS: Lateral cephalometric and left-hand medial phalange radiographs of 150 males between the ages of 9 and 19 who were referred for orthodontic treatment were examined. RESULTS: The 6 modified medial phalange stages were found to correlate with the 6 cervical vertebral maturation stages. CONCLUSIONS: Because cervical vertebrae stage is a reliable maturation indicator, the medial phalange of the third finger can be used instead to assess a subject's skeletal maturation.
INTRODUCTION: It is important to evaluate skeletal maturation in orthodontic treatment. Hand-wrist and cervical maturation stages have been shown to be correlated with skeletal growth changes during puberty. The cervical vertebrae have 6 maturation phases, whereas the medial phalange of the third finger has 5 stages; a modified version has 6 stages. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation of the cervical vertebrae maturation index with the modified medial phalange index. METHODS: Lateral cephalometric and left-hand medial phalange radiographs of 150 males between the ages of 9 and 19 who were referred for orthodontic treatment were examined. RESULTS: The 6 modified medial phalange stages were found to correlate with the 6 cervical vertebral maturation stages. CONCLUSIONS: Because cervical vertebrae stage is a reliable maturation indicator, the medial phalange of the third finger can be used instead to assess a subject's skeletal maturation.
Authors: Amanda C Cunha; Lucia Hs Cevidanes; Eduardo F Sant'Anna; Fabio R Guedes; Ronir R Luiz; James A McNamara; Lorenzo Franchi; Antonio Carlos O Ruellas Journal: Dentomaxillofac Radiol Date: 2018-03-12 Impact factor: 2.419