Comparison of accuracy of different dental age estimation methods in Finnish and Turkish populations.

Abstract

Objective: The aims of this study were to assess the accuracy of Cameriere's and Demirjian's methods in Finnish children, and compare the findings with those of the Turkish children according to dental age.

Material and methods: Dental panoramic tomography (DPT) of children (482 Finnish, 423 Turkish) aged between 5 and 15 years were evaluated. Comparison of mean difference between estimated and chronological age was evaluated. The difference between two means was analysed using paired t-test at 95% confidence interval (CI). Pearson correlation coefficients were used to estimate the correlation between chronological and estimated ages.  Results: Demirjian's method resulted in overestimation in all age groups except for 8-year-old girls. Dental age, however, was found to be underestimated with Cameriere's method in all age groups but 6-year-old girls and boys. In Northern Finnish children, Demirjian's method was more suitable for boys while Cameriere's method led to better estimation in girls. When comparing Finnish and Turkish children, differences between dental ages and chronological ages differed significantly in 10-year-old boys and 8-year-old girls with both methods.  Conclusion: Dental age of Turkish children seems higher than that of Finnish children. There is a significant difference between chronological and dental ages in both populations assessed by both methods.