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Skeletal Maturity in Adolescence: Evaluating Bone Development and Age Metrics
João Pinheiro1,2, Luís Ribeiro1,2,3,4, Diana Teixeira5
1School of Health, Gambelas Campus, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.
Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 1, 2025
Summary
Skeletal age (SA) correlates better with adolescent body composition and anthropometrics than chronological age. However, its link to bone mineral content and density needs further investigation.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Human Growth and Development
- Biomedical Imaging
Background:
- Accurate assessment of bone maturation is vital for monitoring child and adolescent growth.
- Traditional methods like Greulich & Pyle may lack precision.
- Skeletal age (SA) is a key indicator of biological maturity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the predictive capability and correlation of skeletal age (SA) with bone mineral content (BMC), bone mineral density (BMD), and body composition (BC) in male adolescents.
- To compare the association of SA with these parameters against chronological age (CA).
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 115 male adolescents aged 12.1–15.8 years.
- Skeletal age assessed via the Tanner-Whitehouse 3 (TW3) method.
- Bone mineral content (BMC), bone mineral density (BMD), and body composition (BC) measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).
Main Results:
- SA showed significant correlations with stature and body mass, outperforming CA.
- SA was also more strongly associated with lean mass (LM) and fat tissue (FT) than CA.
- Correlations between SA and BMC or BMD were weak and not statistically significant.
Conclusions:
- Skeletal age is a stronger predictor of anthropometric and body composition metrics in adolescents than chronological age.
- The relationship between skeletal age and bone mineral density/content requires further longitudinal research.
- Future studies should consider nutritional factors in assessing skeletal maturity and bone health.
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