Document Type : Original Articles

Abstract

Introduction: It is possible to estimate an individual’s chronological age by evaluating their somatic development, including osseous maturation, menses, body size, height and tooth calcification . Of the methods available, Demirjian's method is the most reliable. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of Demirjian's dental age estimation in 3-9 year-old children in Isfahan. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional and analytical study, Demirjian's method and radiography were used. Based on Demirjian's method mineralization of seven permanent left mandibular teeth was assessed by two radiologists and the scores were compared with those of Demirjian. The final score was calculated for each subject and was converted to dental age using standard maturation curves. Data was analyzed with pearson’s correlation coefficient (α = 0.05). Results: The correlation coefficient between the true and estimated age was 0.83 in boys and 0.71 in girls. Demirjian's method was highly accurate in the subjects (p value < 0.001). Conclusion: Considering the limits of the present study, it was concluded that Demirjian’s method can be used in estimating the age of children in Isfahan.   Key words: Calcification, Chronological age, Demirjian's method, Dental age, Developmental age.