Association between mineralization of third molars and chronological age in a Brazilian sample

Authors

  • Amanda Maria Medeiros Araújo Universidade Federal de Campina Grande
  • Maria Luiza dos Anjos Pontual UFPB
  • Kalianna Pereira de França UFPB
  • Ricardo Villar Beltrão UFPB
  • Andréa dos Anjos Pontual UPE

Keywords:

Panoramic radiography, age determination by teeth, third molar, tooth calcification

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the association between chronological age and mineralization of third molar teeth in a sample from the Northeast region of Brazil. Methods: A sample of 173 digitized panoramic radiographs were selected from a total of 2,442 panoramic radiographs obtained over a period of 6 months at a private Dental Radiology service, in the city of João Pessoa, PB, Brazil. The patients were aged from 5.5 to 21 years, and a calibrated examiner made the evaluation using the classification proposed by Demirjian. Data were analyzed by using an adjusted multiple linear regression model considering age as a response variable. The level of significance adopted was 0.05. Results: Gender and stage of calcification were significantly correlated associated with age. There was no effect of gender on mineralization of the teeth. Between the two consecutive stages of calcification of third molar teeth, the mean increase in age varied by 16 months. Conclusion: The results suggest that the development of the third molar teeth is similar in both sexes. Calcification of third molars may be an auxiliary tool in the study of chronological age.

Author Biographies

Amanda Maria Medeiros Araújo, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande

Centro de Saúde e Tecnologia Rural / Unidade Acadêmica de Ciências Biológicas / Curso de Odontologia

Maria Luiza dos Anjos Pontual, UFPB

Department of Clinic and Social Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Paraíba-UFPB, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil

Kalianna Pereira de França, UFPB

Department of Clinic and Social Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Paraíba-UFPB, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil

Ricardo Villar Beltrão, UFPB

Department of Clinic and Social Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Paraíba-UFPB, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil

Andréa dos Anjos Pontual, UPE

Department of Oral Diagnosis, School of Dentistry, Pernambuco University-UPE, Camaragibe, PE, Brazil

Downloads

Published

2010-09-29

Issue

Vol. 25 No. 4 (2010)

Section

Original Article

License

COPYRIGHT
The submission of originals to Odonto Ciência implies the transfer by the authors of the right for publication. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication. If the authors wish to include the same data into another publication, they must cite Odonto Ciência as the site of original publication.

CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE
As this journal is open access, the articles are allowed free use in scientific and educational applications, with citation of the source.
According to the type of Creative Commons License (CC-BY 4.0) adopted by Odonto Ciência, the user must respect the requirements below.

You are free to:
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.

However, only under the following terms:
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests Odonto Ciência endorses you or your use.
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.

For more details on the Creative Commons license, please follow the link in the footer of this website.