Growth & Development
Amanda Phan, DDS
PGY2 Resident
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
University of Iowa College of Dentistry
Columbia, Missouri, United States
Shreekrishna Akilesh, DMD, MPH
NYU Langone
Sallie Yassin, MS
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Sujatha S. Sivaraman, BDS,DMD, MPH
Associate Program Director
NYU Langone Hospitals
Columbia, Missouri, United States
Daniel J. Kane, DMD, MA
Program Director
NYU Langone Hospitals
Brooklyn, New York, United States
Purpose: Using a retrospective chart review design, this study sought to explore associations among chronologic age, dental age, and body mass index (BMI) in Black children receiving dental care.
Methods: The electronic dental charts of 611 Black children aged 6–16 years who received dental care at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Columbia, MO were reviewed. BMI was calculated from self-reported height and weight at visit intake and a panoramic radiograph was completed and uploaded to each patient’s chart. Using the Demirjian maturity scale to assess dental age, panoramic radiographs were used for grading each stage of root development in each child’s dentition. Chronologic age was calculated by the child’s birthdate and date of panoramic radiograph. Participants were classified into 3 BMI groups: underweight (<5th percentile), normal weight ( >5th percentile and < 85th percentile), and overweight/obese (>85th percentile).
Results: A significant moderate correlation was found between chronologic age and dental age for the overall sample (r=0.47, P < 0.001), with dental age substantially greater than chronological age. The mean difference between chronologic age and dental age for normal weight participants was statistically significant (P < 0.002), with a mean difference of 1.89 years, as was the mean difference between chronologic age and dental age for overweight/obese participants (P < 0.0003), with a mean difference of 3.27 years. Finally, no statistically significant associations between either chronologic age or dental age and BMI were found.
Conclusion: These findings may inform pediatric dentists in providing anticipatory guidance and orthodontic referrals for Black pediatric patients.