Kenan Cantekin

Dental Age Assessment: The Applicability of Demirjian Method in Eastern Turkish Children

Abstract:  In the literature, little is known about the applicability of this method in Turkish children. The aim of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the reliability of Demirjian method of age estimation when used for eastern Turkish children. A retrospective study was performed on a sample of panoramic radiographs taken from 807 healthy eastern Turkish children. The stages of dental maturity of the mandibular left seven permanent teeth for each subject using the eight radiographic dental maturity stages demonstrated by Demirjian were evaluated. A paired t‐test was used for statistical analysis. The mean difference between the chronological and dental ages ranged from 0.2 to 1.9 years in girls and from 0.4 to 1.3 years in boys. The differences between the chronological and dental ages were statistically significant in all age groups. The applicability of Demirjian method is not suitable for eastern Turkish population.

Is the assessment of dental age by the Nolla method valid for eastern Turkish children

Abstract:  The aim of this study was to investigate whether or not the Nolla method is appropriate for Turkish children for the determination of the dental age (DA). A group of 719 children between the ages of 6 and 18 years were included in the study. DAs from orthopantograms by the Nolla method were estimated. The results obtained were compared with chronologic age (CA). Paired t and the Wilcoxon tests were performed. Both genders were underestimated in dental maturity when compared with the reference samples in total (−0.3 years) (p < 0.01). The differences in girls were statistically significant in total and in all groups except for 7–7.9. The differences in boys between the CAs and DAs were not statistically significant in total and in all groups except for 7–7.9 and 8–8.9. Although the accuracy of this method was suitable for boys, according to our findings, it was not suitable for girls.

Morphologic Analysis of Third‐Molar Mineralization for Eastern Turkish Children and Youth

Abstract:  To date, there has been no chronological age estimation according to third‐molar mineralization in eastern Turkish children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to analyze the development of the mandibular third molar and its relationship to chronological age in subjects aged 7–22 years according to Demirjian’s stages. The final sample consisted of 1348 [622 males (mean age, 12.72 ± 3.14) and 726 females (mean age, 12.92 ± 2.89)] conventional orthopantomograms from eastern Turkish youths. An independent t‐test was performed to evaluate the difference between sexes. Regression analysis was performed to obtain regression formulae for dental age calculation with chronological age. In males, there was a difference between males and females only at stage C (p = 0.03); females were advanced 0.37 years compared with males at the stage C. Third‐molar development among eastern Turkish children and youths occurs at a more advanced age than other populations for almost all stages.

Comprehensive dental evaluation of children with congenital or acquired heart disease.

OBJECTIVE The aims of this case–control study were to (a) compare the caries experience and oral hygiene, and (b) quantify the persistence of a delay in the dental age in children with cardiac disease and a group of healthy children. METHODS AND MATERIALS The study population comprised a group of 268 3- to 16-year-old children and adolescents with a cardiac disease and a group of 268 age- and sex-matched healthy children and adolescents. Specifically, the decayed, missed, and filled teeth indices, simplified oral hygiene index, and the dental ages of the two groups of children were calculated and then compared. RESULTS Although the oral health of the children with either a congenital or an acquired heart disease was the same as that of the healthy children, there were significant differences in the decayed, missed, and filled teeth indices. Dental ages of the children with a congenital heart disease were significantly lower than those of healthy children. The findings showed that complex univentricular heart diseases had the highest negative impact on dental development (21.1), followed by complex biventricular (20.9), simple surgical (20.5), and mild (20.4) heart disease patients. CONCLUSION Once thorough knowledge of the child’s cardiac status is gained, a definitive dental treatment plan for the child with a cardiac disease can be established.

Bone Age Assessment: The Applicability of the Greulich–Pyle Method in Eastern Turkish Children

Abstract:  The aim of this study was to investigate whether or not the Greulich–Pyle (GP) method is adequate for Turkish children. A group of 767 individuals (425 girls and 342 boys) between 7 and 17 years were studied. Bone age (BA) from plain radiographs of left hands and wrists by GP standards was estimated. The total mean differences between BA and chronological age (CA) for girls and boys were found to be 0.20 and −0.13 years, respectively. There were significant differences between BA and CA in age groups 7‐, 8‐, 10‐, 11‐, 12‐, 13‐, 15‐, and 16‐year‐olds for girls and 7‐, 10‐, and 12‐year‐olds for boys. The results of this study suggest that the mean differences between BA and CA are low enough to be of no practical significance, and thus, for the time being unless any other methods will be proved more useful, this method could be used in all age groups.

Identification of the mandibular landmarks in a pediatric population

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine and compare the reliability to accomplish of common mandibular landmarks and to determine the incidence of incisive canals, anterior looping, and lingual foramina in children from panoramic and CBCT images. Study Design: Panoramic and CBCT images from 100 children and adolescent patients were randomly selected. In order to grade the visibility of mandibular anatomical landmarks, a four-point rating scale was used. Results: In panoramic images, the mandibular canal could be observed in 92.5% of cases, with good visibility in 12.0%. The mental foramen could be observed in 44.5% of cases, while none had good visibility. Anterior looping of the mental nerve was present in 16.5% of the cases, and none had good visibility. An incisive canal could be identified in 22.5% of cases, with only 1.5% showing good visibility. The lingual foramen could be visualized in 61.0% of cases, with good visibility in 6%. In CBCT images, the mandibular canal, the mental foramen, and the lingual foramen could be observed in 100% of the cases, with good visibility in 51.0%, 98.5%, and 45.0% of cases, respectively. Anterior looping of the mental nerve was present in 26% of cases, with 2% having good visibility. An incisive canal could be identified in 49.5% of cases, with only 75% showing good visibility. Conclusions: This study confirms the applicability of CBCT images to visualize critical structures in children. Key words:Panoramic radiography, cone beam computed tomography, anatomical landmark.

Dental age assessment for different climatic regions.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of several aspects of climate, such as temperature and altitude, on dental maturation. Materials and MethodsThe 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. ResultsThe Central Anatolian children were approximately 0.2 to 3.0 years more advanced in dental maturity than the Eastern Anatolian subjects. ConclusionsThe development standards proposed by Demirjian are affected by climatic factors. However, further research and detailed information to gather data are needed.

Cone Beam Computed Tomographic Analysis of the Shape, Height, and Location of the Mandibular Lingula in a Population of Children

  Objectives. This is the first study to identify and classify the different morphological shapes of the mandibular lingula (ML) in children using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Material and Methods. A retrospective study was performed to evaluate the shape, height, and location of the ML in relation to the surrounding structures using CBCT images of mandibles obtained from 269 children. The shape of the ML was classified into triangular, truncated, nodular, or assimilated types. The location was determined by five distances. The height of the lingula was also measured from the lingular tip to the mandibular foramen. Results. A nodular shape of the ML was most commonly found (48.3%, n = 260) followed by truncated (23.4%, n = 126), assimilated (14.4%, n = 78), and triangular (13.7%, n = 74). The mean distance of ML from the anterior and posterior borders of mandibular ramus was 13.3 ± 2.3 mm and 10.2 ± 1.6 mm, respectively. In the majority of the mandibles studied, the ML was located above the occlusal plane. Conclusion. The present study provides new information to the literature concerning the shape, height, and location of the lingula in a Turkish pediatric population. This finding may assist clinicians to localize the lingula and avoid intraoperative complications.

Dental computed tomographic imaging as age estimation: morphological analysis of the third molar of a group of Turkish population.

AbstractComputed tomography (CT) is capable of providing accurate and measurable 3-dimensional images of the third molar. The aims of this study were to analyze the development of the mandibular third molar and its relation to chronological age and to create new reference data for a group of Turkish participants aged 9 to 25 years on the basis of cone-beam CT images. All data were obtained from the patients’ records including medical, social, and dental anamnesis and cone-beam CT images of 752 patients. Linear regression analysis was performed to obtain regression formulas for dental age calculation with chronological age and to determine the coefficient of determination (r2) for each sex. Statistical analysis showed a strong correlation between age and third-molar development for the males (r2 = 0.80) and the females (r2 = 0.78). Computed tomographic images are clinically useful for accurate and reliable estimation of dental ages of children and youth.

Evaluation of root canal morphology of human primary molars by using CBCT and comprehensive review of the literature

Abstract Objective Knowledge of primary tooth morphology is essential for clinical dentistry, especially for root canal treatment and dental traumatology. However, this has not been well documented to date with a large sample. This study was carried out to investigate the variation in number and morphology of the root canals of the primary molars, to study the applicability of cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT) in assessing the same and to provide a comprehensive review of the literature. Materials and methods A total of 343 primary molars, without any root resorption, were divided into four main groups including the maxillary first molars, maxillary second molars, mandibular first molars and mandibular second molars. All of them were analysed in CBCT images in the axial, sagittal and coronal planes. Various parameters such as the number of roots, number of canals, the root canal type, diameter of root and root canal and root canal curvature were studied. Results Primary molars in all four groups showed variability in the number of roots and root canals. As far as length of the roots was concerned, the palatal root of the maxillary molar was found to be longest, while the distobuccal root was shortest. In mandibular molars, the mesial root was longer than the distal root. The length of distobuccal root canal of the maxillary molars and the distolingual canal of the mandibular molars was found to be shortest. The number of roots and root canals varied from two to four and three to four, respectively. The maxillary molars exhibited more one-canal than two-canal roots. Conclusion The present study provides comprehensive information to the existing literature concerning the variation in root canal morphology of the maxillary and mandibular primary molar teeth. These data may help clinicians in the root canal treatment of these teeth.