Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 18, 2025
07:26
Systematic Assessment of Mammalian Skull Specimens for Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology
Published on: August 22, 2022
1.6K
Dental maturation in a Chinese sample using Demirjian method
Yue Fei1,2,3, Lianyi Yang1,2,3, Kai Sheng1,2,3
1Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, College of Stomatology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Annals of Human Biology
|October 4, 2021
Summary
This study established a dental maturity reference for Chinese children using panoramic radiographs. The Demirjian method generally overestimated dental age, highlighting the need for sample-specific calibration in forensic and clinical dental age estimation.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Anthropology
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Human Biology
Background:
- Dental calcification data is crucial for clinical, archaeological, and forensic contexts.
- Existing dental maturity data for Chinese children is limited, necessitating updated references.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create a mandibular dental maturity reference table for Chinese children and adolescents.
- To evaluate the accuracy of the Demirjian method for dental age estimation in this population.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 2091 panoramic radiographs from 1008 males and 1083 females aged 3-15 years.
- Mandibular teeth (excluding third molars) were assessed using Demirjian's criteria for developmental stages.
- Age-of-attainment and sex differences were statistically analyzed; dental age was compared to chronological age.
Main Results:
- Females exhibited earlier tooth maturation than males, with significant differences in developmental stages D-G.
- The Demirjian method resulted in an overestimation of dental age for both sexes (males: 0.68±1.05 years; females: 0.59±0.97 years).
Conclusions:
- The established relationship between mineralization stage and chronological age serves as a valuable reference for Chinese children's mandibular dental maturity.
- The Demirjian method requires calibration for accurate dental age estimation in Chinese populations due to systematic overestimation.
