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The timing of permanent tooth development in a Black Southern African population using the Demirjian method

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Abstract

Background

Many aspects of growth have been documented for Black Southern African children, yet their dental development has not been comprehensively investigated.

Aim

The present study was designed to provide information on age of attainment of dental development stages in Southern African children and to compare the findings with other populations.

Method

This was a community-based cross-sectional study of 642 children (270 males and 372 females). Panoramic radiographs of children aged 5 to 20 years were assessed using Demirjian’s eight stages of permanent tooth formation and age was estimated using Demirjian’s method. Resulting dental ages were compared to the chronological ages. Probit regression analysis was employed to calculate the mean age of attainment of the developmental stages for the seven left mandibular teeth. Maturity scores and age of attainment were compared by sex and with published data on other populations.

Results

Females show significantly advanced dental maturity and dental ages, as well as earlier attainment of all stages of mineralization, compared to males (p < 0.05). The Demirjian method overestimated dental age in both males (0.8 ± 1.02 years) and females (1.0 ± 0.98 years). Cross-population comparisons illustrate that Black Southern African children are generally advanced in dental maturity compared to children of European and Asian ancestry.

Conclusion

The Demirjian method significantly overestimated the chronological ages of Black Southern African males and females. Southern Africans attain dental maturity earlier than South Korean, Canadian, and Belgian children. These differences in dental maturity clearly illustrate the need for population-specific, rather than global, dental maturity standards.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express their appreciation to Jeff Yengopal and the staff of COHOP who helped to facilitate data collection, the children who agreed to participate in this study, and the school staff and administrators who gave their support, and the Department of Education for permission to conduct the study. The data are archived with the Human Variation and Identification Research Unit of the School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Dentistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

    Temitope A. Esan

  2. Visiting Researcher, School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Temitope A. Esan

  3. Human Variation and Identification Unit, School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Temitope A. Esan & Lynne A. Schepartz

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  1. Temitope A. Esan
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  2. Lynne A. Schepartz
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Correspondence to Lynne A. Schepartz.

Ethics declarations

Ethical approval (No. M141001) was obtained from the Human Research Ethics Committee (Medical) of the University of the Witwatersrand. Permission to carry out the study on the school children was obtained from the local education authority and respective school heads. Consent was obtained from the parents while assent was obtained from the children.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Esan, T.A., Schepartz, L.A. The timing of permanent tooth development in a Black Southern African population using the Demirjian method. Int J Legal Med 133, 257–268 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-018-1968-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-018-1968-4

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