Comparing tooth development timing between ethnic groups, excluding nutritional and environmental influences

The timing of dental development in ethnic Finns and Somalis, who were born and living in Finland, was compared, with efforts to minimize environmental bias. The developmental status of seven lower left permanent teeth were staged according to Demirjian et al., using panoramic radiographs from 2,100 Finnish and 808 Somali females and males, aged 2 to 23 years. For each tooth, a continuation-ratio model was constructed to analyze the allocated stages as a function of sex and ethnic origin. Several statistically significant differences in mean age of certain tooth developmental stage transitions were revealed. While Somalis generally displayed stage transitions at younger age, none of the seven teeth consistently showed earlier stage transitions in Somalis compared to Finns. Within each tooth, the lowest (or highest) mean age of stage transition varied without any discernible pattern between the two ethnic groups. Overall, the observed differences in mean age of stage transition between the groups was minimal, suggesting a low impact on clinical and forensic age assessment practice. In conclusion, the studied ethnic Finn and Somali groups with equal nutritional and /or environmental conditions exhibit similar timing in the development of all lower left permanent teeth.