RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DENTAL CALCIFICATION STAGES AND CERVICAL VERTEBRAL MATURATION IN MEXICAN INDIVIDUALS. A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Introduction: This study used panoramic and lateral cephalometric radiographs to evaluate the relationship between dental calcification stages and cervical vertebral maturation in Mexican individuals. Material and Methods: In this study, 201 patients aged 6 to 17 from Queretaro, Mexico, underwent lateral cephalometric radiographs and panoramic radiographs. Two trained and calibrated orthodontists and oral radiologists used Baccetti's method to assess cervical maturation stages and Demirjian's method to evaluate dental calcification stages. The correlation between the stages was assessed using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Additionally, the chi-square test was used to evaluate the association between the stages of both methods, using the teeth with the highest correlation values (p<0.05). Results: The strongest correlation values were observed for the second molar (r=0.706), second premolar (r=0.661), and lower canine (r=0.653) (p<0.001). Among these teeth, the lower canine displayed the strongest association. There was a significant relationship between the CS3 vertebra stage and the G stage (42.9%), as well as between the CS4 stage and the H stage (48.2%) (p<0.001). Conclusions: Based on the sample results, the stage of bone development can be identified by examining dental calcification using the lower canine on panoramic radiographs as a reference. This knowledge can help determine the stage of cervical calcification, which can help create an effective treatment plan.