Background: Dental calcification information is relevant for clinical, archaeological, and forensic applications. However, dental maturity measurements in current cohorts of Chinese children are insufficient.
Aim: This study aimed to establish the mandibular dental maturity table and determine the accuracy of dental age estimation using the Demirjian method in a Chinese sample.
Subjects and methods: Permanent mandibular teeth, excluding the third molar, in 2091 panoramic radiographs of 1008 males and 1083 females aged 3-15 were graded, and dental age was estimated according to Demirjian's criteria. Age-of-attainment was calculated with probit regression for each stage by sex, and sex differences were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Dental age was compared with chronological age using paired t-tests.
Results: Although females showed earlier age-of-attainment than males, significant sex differences were only found in stages D-G (p < 0.05). The Demirjian method overestimated the dental age in both males (0.68 ± 1.05 years) and females (0.59 ± 0.97 years).
Conclusions: The relationship between mineralisation stage and chronological age in this study can be applied as a reference for mandibular dental maturity of Chinese children and adolescents. The Demirjian method overestimated the chronological ages of this sample.
Keywords: Mandibular dental development; dental age estimation; maturity table; sex difference; the Demirjian method.