title: A comparison of cervical vertebral maturation assessment of skeletal growth stages with chronological age in Thai between cleft lip and palate and non-cleft patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  (1) To search for any difference in chronological age related to stages of the cervical vertebral maturation index stages (CVMIs) comparing groups of cleft lip and palate (CLP) and non-cleft (non-CLP) subjects; (2) To investigate the relationship between chronological age and CVMIs in both groups of subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cervical vertebrae C2, C3, C4 were assessed on 1,549 cephalometric films (503 CLP films, 1,046 non-CLP films of subjects aged 5 to 18 years) using Hassel and Farman's method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  T-tests showed mean chronological ages of CVMIs 2, 3 and 6 were different at p = 0.001, 0.024 and 0.016, respectively. CVMIs 1, 4 and 5 showed no significant differences. The CLP group achieved each CVMI score one year ahead of the non-CLP group, except for CVMI 4. Spearman's rank order correlations were r = 0.80 (95% CI: 0.76-0.83) for CLP, and 0.77 (95% CI: 0.74-0.79) for non-CLP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CLP subjects tended to have a slightly advanced growth compared with non-CLP subjects. A high correlation coefficient was found between chronological age and cervical vertebral skeletal maturation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Khon Kaen University, Thailand. poonsakpisek@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Poonsak
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pisek
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Godfrey
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.
authors.forename: Montian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manosudprasit
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.
authors.forename: Tasanee
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wangsrimongkol
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.
authors.forename: Pornnapha
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Leelasinjaroen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000365:Age Determination by Skeleton; D000367:Age Factors; D001846:Bone Development / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002508:Cephalometry; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000254:growth & development*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013785:Thailand; D055815:Young Adult