Age estimation of Korean children based on dental maturity

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between age and dental maturity and to establish the standard database of dental maturity based on the Demirjian's stages, which can be used for the age estimation of Korean children. For this purpose, dental maturity was measured by the Demirjian's stages on a randomly selected sample of panoramic radiographs taken from 2706 patients between 1 and 20 years of age and analyzed by multiple linear regression analysis based on the method of least squares. The results showed that, except for the third molars, the development of permanent teeth in Korean children was more advanced in females. The Demirjian's stage G of the second molar appeared last in both male and female subjects by age 18, showing 95th percentile at age in the male and female subjects between 16.7–17.4 years and 17.1–17.3 years, respectively. Coefficients of determination (r2) of the Demirjian's stages relative to age in regression analysis were 0.9721 in male and 0.9740 in female subjects. The standard error was 0.63 years in male and 0.62 years in female subjects. The estimated age according to regression analysis was within ±1.0 year of the actual age in 92.0% of male and 92.5% of female subjects. Collectively, the data of the present study can be used as a reference for dental maturity and a standard for age estimation of Korean children.