The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between Demirjian's method and the improved cervical vertebrae maturation (CVM) method. The material consisted of the clinical files and panoramic and lateral cephalometric radiographs of 718 children (431 girls and 287 boys) aged from 6 to 17 years, inhabitants of the Mazovia region (Central Poland). Dental age according to Demirjian was estimated using panoramic radiographs and the cervical stages (CS) of the CVM were evaluated on cephalometric radiographs. Descriptive statistics of the chronological and dental ages of the patients for a particular CS of skeletal maturity was calculated for girls and boys separately. Linear regression analysis and correlation (Pearson's r coefficient), as well as the Spearman rank correlation coefficient (R) were applied to measure the association between CS and dental calcification stages of all analysed teeth. A consistently earlier occurrence (by about 6 months) for each CS was observed in females. A moderate, but statistically significant, correlation between Demirjian's dental developmental stages and CS was determined. The level of the correlation was different for individual teeth: the teeth showing the highest relationship with CVM were the second premolars and canines (in female and male subjects, respectively). The central incisor demonstrated the poorest correlation in both genders. The findings confirmed that both dental and skeletal maturity should be assessed if the maturity stage of a growing child is to be relevant to clinical practice. The results indicate the usefulness of dental calcification stages as a simple first-level diagnostic test to determine the skeletal maturity status of a subject.

The aim of the study was to determine whether there are differences in dental age (DA) using the method of Demirjian, in patients with impacted buccal or palatal maxillary canines in relation to unaffected controls. DA was estimated using Demirjian's method on panoramic radiographs of two groups of Caucasian patients. The study group consisted of 116 patients aged from 12 to 16 years (80 females and 36 males) that was further divided into 54 patients with unilateral or bilateral palatally impacted maxillary canines and 62 patients with buccally positioned canines. The control group of 116 subjects without canine impaction was matched to the study group by age and gender. Calculated DAs and differences between dental and chronological age (CA) were compared between the groups. Statistical analysis was performed using Shapiro-Wilk, Mann-Whitney U, and Student's t-test. DA was significantly lower in patients with impacted maxillary canines than in healthy controls and also when palatal or buccal ectopia was considered. The rate of dental development in patients with palatally impacted canines did not differ from that of subjects with buccal canine displacement. The differences between DA and CA were higher in healthy controls (increase in DA) than in patients with impacted maxillary canines. DA estimation using Demirjian's method may be lower than expected in subjects with maxillary canine impaction.