Permanent tooth stages assessment of panoramic radiographs and lateral cephalograms

Background Several classic craniofacial growth studies used lateral cephalograms (LCs) before the availability of panoramic radiographs (PRs). Are tooth stages comparable in these types of radiographs? Aim To compare tooth developmental stages of left side teeth in PR and LC using the methods of Moorrees, Fanning and Hunt and Demirjian, Goldstein and Tanner. Design Three hundred date-matched dental radiographs [n=300, 150 PRs and 150 LCs, 69 males and 81 females] from children aged 6 to 20 years old were obtained from the online Maxwell Museum of Anthropology’s orthodontic collection, Albuquerque, USA. Maxillary and mandibular left side teeth were scored on the two types of radiographs (number of teeth=1600) using Moorrees and Demirjian methods. The developmental stages of left side permanent teeth were compared in PRs and LCs using weighted kappa. Results Analysis of the developmental stages for left side teeth in the PRs compared with LCs showed that kappa values were excellent for both Moorrees and Demirjian methods (κ > 0.9). Percentage of agreement between LC and PR for Moorrees was 92.7% and 96.16% for Demirjian method. Conclusion These findings provide evidence that PRs and LCs are comparable when determining tooth developmental stages for permanent teeth using Moorrees and Demirjian

Cephalometry · Radiography · Dental Radiography and Imaging · Dentistry · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Medicine · Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics · Orthodontics · Surgery