Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The purpose of this study was to test the relationship
between dental developmental age and chronologic age as
they relate to other aspects of the child's development.
The dental developmental age was determined on 74 children,
40 males and 34 females, ranging in age from two to 11 years.
The sample population was chosen at random from patients at
the Indiana University School of Dentistry. The socio-economic
status was determined according to the North-Hatt
Occupational Scale; 14.3 per cent of the children fell in
the upper class, 84.3 per cent in the middle class, and
1.4 per cent in the lower class. Analysis by race showed
that 71.6 per cent of the sample were Caucasian, 23.0 per cent
were Negroid, and 5.4 per cent were Oriental. Panoramic
radiography, with the S.S. White Panorex, was used to evaluate
dental developmental age. Two independent observers scored
the radiographs and double blind procedures were used. To
determine dental developmental age, Wolanski's method of
tooth formation evaluation was used. To determine functioning
of children in five developmental skills areas, the Alpern-Boll
Developmental Skills Inventory was used.
Dental developmental age and chronologic age had a
significant positive relationship to children's functioning
in five developmental skills areas. There is a chronologic
period when determination of dental age appears to be
difficult. The data available and methodology for determining
dental developmental age of the four-year-old female and
the five-year-old male seems to be inadequate.
Dental developmental age seems to be a better predictor
of general developmental skills for males than it does for
females, specifically in the two to eight-year-old group.
The highest correlations were found in the youngest age
group, i.e. the two to five-year-olds. The correlations
between dental developmental age and chronologic age, and
between those two indices and the five developmental skills
ages remains highly significant in the younger ages but
decreases consistently as the child becomes older. The
specific age as well as the sex of the child has a definite
effect on the correlations obtained.
The use of dental developmental age is good but not
superior to the use of chronologic age for predicting
functioning for normal children. This may not be the case
for atypical children. More study is indicated.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:IUPUI/oai:scholarworks.iupui.edu:1805/4176 |
| Date | January 1971 |
| Creators | Barton, Douglas Harvey |
| Contributors | Mercer, Victor H., 1928- |
| Source Sets | Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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