Is the cervical vertebral maturation method a reliable predictor of midpalatal suture maturation? A retrospective study.

Introduction: The study aimed to assess the correlations among chronological age, cervical vertebral maturation (CVM), midpalatal suture (MPS) maturation, and MPS density (MPSD), and to evaluate the association between the CVM and MPS.

Methods: Records derived from the analysis of lateral cephalometric radiographs and cone-beam computed tomography scans of 200 subjects, grouped by sex, were used to determine CVM, MPS, and MPSD ratio. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics. Spearman correlation and positive likelihood ratio were used to determine the possible correlations.

Results: In males, strong correlations were observed between CVM stage (CS) and age (r = 0.864), CVM and MPS stage (r = 0.826). Moderate correlation was found between CS and MPSD ratio (r = 0.488). Strong correlations were found between MPS stages and age (r = 0.729) and MPSD ratio (r = 0.622). Among females, strong correlations appeared between CVM and age (r = 0.872), between CS and MPS stage (r = 0.899), and between CVM and MPSD ratio (r = 0.618). Further strong correlations were found between MPS stages and age (r = 0.8), and between MPS stages and MPSD (r = 0.716). In both sexes, the positive likelihood ratio test demonstrated strong associations between CS1 and stage A, CS5 and stage D, and CS6 and stage E.

Conclusions: Significant correlations exist between chronological age, CVM, MPS, and MPSD. The CVM method demonstrated a high predictive value in identifying stages A, D, and E. The CVM method could be considered as a decision-making indicator in crossbite treatment; however, it should be confirmed by further prospective studies.