J Korean Acad Pediatr Dent.  2021 Feb;48(1):31-41. 10.5933/JKAPD.2021.48.1.31.

Assessment of Midpalatal Suture Maturation by Skeletal Maturity on Hand Wrist Radiographs

• Yu D
• Kim D

• KMID: 2513908
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5933/JKAPD.2021.48.1.31

Abstract

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the correlation between the midpalatal suture maturation and skeletal maturation in growing children aged 7 - 15 years and predict the maturational stages of the midpalatal suture corresponding to skeletal maturity assessed by the skeletal maturation indicators (SMI) and middle phalanx of the third finger (MP3) stages.
The group of this retrospective study was consisted of randomly selected 132 male and 135 female in age from 7 - 15 years. The maturation of the midpalatal suture was evaluated by using images from cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) while the skeletal age was assessed by hand-wrist radiography. CBCT images and hand-wrist radiographs used in this study were obtained from all subjects for orthodontic diagnosis before orthodontic treatment.
The maturational stages of the midpalatal suture showed strong correlations with both SMI and MP3 stages. The correlation between the midpalatal suture maturation and SMI (Spearman’s correlation coefficient, ϒ_S = 0.905, p < 0.05) was slightly greater than that of MP3 stages (ϒ_S = 0.830, p < 0.05). There was a positive significant correlation between the midpalatal suture maturation and chronological age (ϒ_S = 0.868,p < 0.05).
CBCT for evaluation of the midpalatal suture maturational stages may be unnecessary in every pediatric patients because SMI and MP3 stages were both replaceable useful methods for assessing maturation of the midpalatal suture before orthopedic treatment. In this retrospective study, the diagnostic reliability of the SMI method for estimating midpalatal suture maturation showed better reliability than the MP3 method.