Evaluation of relationship of hand wrist radiograph, cervical vertebral maturation with mandibular growth as skeletal maturity indicators in children

Abstract

Objective: To study the correlation between mandibular growth variables using linear measurements of ramus, body of the mandible and total mandibular length with skeletal maturity indicators such as hand wrist radiographs and cervical vertebral maturation. Materials and Methods: A total of 315 patient-records (lateral cephalograms and hand-wrist radiographs) in the age group of 10-13 years were involved. The cephalometric measurements, representative of the mandibular growth, Condylion-Gonion (Co-Go), Condylion-Gnathion (Co-Gn), Gonion-Gnathion (Go-Gn), and posterior-most point of the mandibular condyle-pogonion (Fg-Pg) were traced (McNamara method). The correlation of mandibular growth variables with hand wrist parameters and cervical vertebrae maturation were assessed separately in male and female. Pearson’s correlation was used for analysis (Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 17). Results: Only 80 subjects were included in final analysis. A highly significant correlation was found among hand wrist parameters, and mandibular growth variables ( P < 0.001) in both genders. Among males, there was a highly significant correlation between cervical vertebral maturation and mandibular growth variables ( P < 0.001), whereas Co-Go has a significant correlation with C2Conc, C3Conc, and C4Conc ( P < 0.05). In females, Co-Gn, Co-Go, Go-Gn, and Fg-Pg were significantly correlated with C3Conc and C4Conc ( P < 0.001). Conclusion: Both the cervical vertebral maturation and mandibular growth variables can be accessed on the lateral ephalogram itself for the evaluation of the skeletal maturity, as effective as a hand wrist radiograph in males and females.