Development of a dental reference data set for Emirati children and adolescents based on the Demirjian’s method

Abstract

Background: The ability to predict the difference between chronological age (CA) and dental age (DA) is an important aid in the accurate diagnosis and treatment planning process in the pediatric population.

Aim: To establish a Dental Reference Data Set (DRDS) of Emirati children aged between 5 to 15 years. Materials and Methods: Dental Panoramic Tomography (DPTs) of 139 Emirati children aged 5 to 15 were to conduct a retrospective case-note cross- sectional study and used to establish a DRDS. The Tooth Development Stages (TDS) system described by Demirjian (1973) was used to assess all the permanent teeth on the left side of the Mandible.

Results: The mean maturation score of the Emirati population compared was not statistically significant from that of the French-Canadian children (males P value = 0.723, females P value = 0.664). Emirati children’s DA was higher compared to the Canadian standards. The mean difference between DA-CA in girls and in boys was 1.21 and 0.79 years respectively (p <0.001). Using a normalization methodology, self-weighted scores were developed for Emirati girls and boys.

Conclusion: The results demonstrated that the Demirjianmethod was suitable for estimating the dental age in a group of Emirati children.