Assessment of Growth Using Mandibular Canine Calcification Stages and Its Correlation with Modified MP3 Stages.
OBJECTIVE
Orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning for growing children must involve growth prediction, especially in the treatment of skeletal problems. Studies have shown that a strong association exists between skeletal maturity and dental calcification stages. The present study was therefore taken up to provide a simple and practical method for assessing skeletal maturity using a dental periapical film and standard dental X-ray machine, to compare the developmental stages of the mandibular canine with that of developmental stages of modified MP3 and to find out if any correlation exists, to determine if the developmental stages of the mandibular canine alone can be used as a reliable indicator for assessment of skeletal maturity.


METHODS
A total of 160 periapical radiographs (80 males and 80 females), of the mandibular right canine and the MP3 region was taken and assessed according to the Dermirjian's stages of dental calcification and the modified MP3 stages.


RESULTS
The correlation between the developmental stages of MP3 and the mandibular right canine in male and female groups, is of high statistical significance (p = 0.001). The correlation coefficient between MP3 stages and developmental stages of mandibular canine and chronological age in male and females was found to be not significant.


CONCLUSIONS
The correlation between the mandibular canine calcification stages and MP3 stages was found to be significant. The developmental stages of the mandibular canine could be used very reliably as a sole indicator for assessment of skeletal maturity.
Postgraduate Student, Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, AB Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
Reshma
R
Nayak
Dean Academics and Head, Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, AB Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
Us Krishna
UK
Nayak
Former Postgraduate Student, Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, AB Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
Gautam
G
Hegde
MP3; growth prediction; mandibular canine calcification; modified MP3.; skeletal maturity