Dental age assessment for different climatic regions.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of several aspects of climate, such as temperature and altitude, on dental maturation. MATERIALS AND METHODS The total sample consisted of 944 panoramic radiographs (473 Turkish children from Central Anatolia [228 girls and 245 boys] and 471 Turkish children from Eastern Anatolia [222 girls and 249 boys]). The children aged between 7.0 and 14.9 years. The radiographs were randomly selected from 2 cities in Turkey, Kayseri and Erzurum. Independent t tests and paired t tests were performed to compare sex, location, and age to determine the relationships between tooth developments. RESULTS The Central Anatolian children were approximately 0.2 to 3.0 years more advanced in dental maturity than the Eastern Anatolian subjects. CONCLUSIONS The development standards proposed by Demirjian are affected by climatic factors. However, further research and detailed information to gather data are needed.