Background and aim Determination of skeletal maturity and bone age from cervical vertebrae has been well documented. Most methods described use subjective evaluation of morphological characteristics of cervical vertebrae and may be prone to variability and error. A few objective methods have also been developed, specific for certain populations and genders. The aim of this study was to establish and validate an objective method to determine cervical vertebral bone age from lateral cephalometric radiographs, for Asian South Indian patients of both genders. Methods Ninety boys and 90 girls between 9 and 15 years of age were recruited, and their lateral cephalograms were taken. Using measurements made from the third and fourth cervical vertebrae, a formula to determine cervical vertebral bone age was derived using stepwise regression analysis. To validate the formula, a separate sample of 30 boys and 30 girls was chosen, and hand-wrist radiographs and lateral cephalograms were obtained. Cervical vertebral bone age (CVBA) was determined by applying the formula derived. Bone age was also calculated using the Tanner-Whitehouse 3 method. The bone ages determined by both methods were compared to each other and chronological age, using one-way ANOVA, Tukey’s post hoc analysis, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results The formulae derived in the current study to determine CVBA differed for both genders. No statistically significant difference was found between CVBA, bone age derived by the Tanner-Whitehouse 3 method, and chronological age for both boys (p value = 0.425) and girls (p value = 0.995). A moderate to strong positive correlation was found between CVBA, bone age, and chronological age. Conclusion The formulae derived in this study were validated and are reliable for objectively determining cervical vertebral bone age and skeletal maturation from lateral cephalograms for Asian South Indian patients of both genders.

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Objective: To determine the efficiency of Transbond plus color change adhesive (TPCCA), a newly introduced orthodontic adhesive material with reference to shear bond strength (SBS), debonding characters and degree of cure (DC) and to correlate SBS to the DC. Materials and methods:Forty human premolars, divided into Group I (n = 20) Transbond XT and Group II (n = 20) TPCCA were bonded with metal brackets using the adhesives. Brackets were debonded in shear on an Instron universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 1 mm per minute. The mode of bond failure was determined by Modified ARI index and the DC was determined by FTIR analysis.Results: There was no statistically significant (p > 0.05) difference between SBS of TPCCA [SD-8.87 (2.11)] and conventional Transbond XT [SD-10.54 (3.12)] and therefore was clinically acceptable. The Weibull analysis suggested that TPCCA behaved consistently with respect to bond failure and reliability. Both adhesives exhibited cohesive type of bond failure. A statitistically significant lower percentage of DC was noted for TPCCA [65.9 (2.4)] than Transbond XT [68.7 (3.2)] but it was within the range reported in the literature (55-75%).Pearson's correlation was significantly positive between SBS and DC for both adhesives. Conclusion:TPCCA has optimum SBS, favorable debonding character and DC at clinically acceptable levels.Clinical implication: TPCCA can be a considered as an innovative orthodontic adhesive material for clinical use.