Association between chronological and skeletal ages among a sample of Saudi male children

ABSTRACT

Assessment of skeletal maturity is a necessary clinical need in orthodontics and other health professions. The aim of this study was to detect the association between chronological age and skeletal age in a selected Saudi male sample and to compare their skeletal maturity rate with other populations. Hand-wrist radiographs were obtained for 115 subjects and the skeletal age for each subject was determined using a standard hand-wrist radiographic atlas. Also, the skeletal maturity stage for each subject was established using Bjork assessment method. Statistical tests were performed to detect signifcant differences between chronological and skeletal ages at different skeletal maturity stages. The rate of skeletal maturity of the participating Saudi sample was also compared to analogous values that were previously established for other populations. The fndings of the present study indicated that the participating Saudi children had a tendency towards late maturation with the mean skeletal age of the participating subjects being signifcantly lower [P<0.05] than the chronological age at various skeletal maturity stages. When considering the rate of skeletal maturity, the participating Saudi children demonstrated a comparable maturity rate to that of other children from different populations. The results of the present study could enhance the diagnosis and treatment planning in orthodontics, pedodontics, and other health disciplines