Correlation between dental, bone, and chronological age in children with growth hormone deficiency

The correlation between dental age, bone age, and chronological age is crucial for understanding the growth and development of children. This relationship is particularly important in the diagnosis and management of growth disorders. In children with isolated growth hormone deficiency (GHD), these correlations may provide insights into the extent and consistency of developmental delay and the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions.

The aim of this study was to assess how dental and skeletal maturation correspond to chronological age.

Among the 93 patients recruited, 48 with GHD (30 males and 18 females), aged 10.57 ± 2.24 years, met the inclusion criteria. The control group consisted of 48 healthy children. Clinical and biochemical assessments were performed. Dental age was assessed through clinical examination, whereas skeletal maturation was evaluated using hand-wrist radiographs. Analyses were conducted for the entire GHD group and for subgroups during and after treatment.

The correlations between dental, skeletal, and chronological age were strong and statistically significant (p < 0.05). No significant correlation was found between the extent of dental age delay and bone age delay. Dental age delay was significantly greater in patients with GHD before treatment than in healthy children (-0.31 vs 0.41, p = 0.024). Bone age delay in children with GHD was more pronounced than dental age delay; it was 1.99 years before treatment and 1.32 years during treatment.

Our results revealed significant differences between bone age and chronological age, as well as between bone age and dental age, in children with GHD, and these differences were reduced during treatment. Significant correlations between bone, dental, and chronological ages indicate that as chronological age increases, dental age and bone age also increase in a predictable manner. Dental and skeletal age delays in patients with GHD are not synchronized, and clinicians should therefore be aware of these discrepancies, particularly when planning dental interventions.