A STUDY OF SKELETAL MATURATION IN RELATION TO CHRONOLOGICAL AND DENTAL AGES IN EGYPTIAN ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

Throughout the history of orthodontics the clinician has been interested in the growth and development of the craniofacial complex. There have been numerous claims conceming the significance of this growth, or perhaps its lack of significance. Some orthodontists have predicted their treatment on the assumption that the growth can be ignored as an integral part of treatment planning.

They have implied that if one aims at excellence of occlusion, every thing will work out satisfactorily. Still others have assumed that if teeth are placed where they belong according to a given standards, better results will be produced specially in cases with favorable growth trend and there is no need to put growth prediction into consideration.

It is generally agreed that genetic and racial differences together with the enviromnental influences have a marked effect on the child's rate of development, hence the chronological age alone not necessarily reflects the progress which the individual has made towards physiological maturity.

As the chronological age is not often sufficient for assessmg the

• developmental stage and somatic maturity of the patient, so the biologic age has to be detennined from the skeletal and morphologic status and the onset of the puberty. With many orthodontic patients the pubertal growth needs to be factored into the diagnostic equation.