Dental maturity in Finns and the problem of missing teeth

Development of teeth was studied from 2483 dental panoramic tomograms of 16 51 healthy Finns ranging in age from 2 to 25 years. Dental maturity was ass essed using a method based on developmental stages of 7 left mandibular tee th. We give sex-specific tables of maturity scores as a function of ages an d of ages as a function of maturity scores. Also generated are percentile g raphs for visual evaluations of dental maturity in children and adolescents . Since maturity scales do not tolerate any missing data, a great limitatio n for their use, we have developed linear repression models for predicting the formation stages of each of the 7 mandibular teeth. It was easiest to p redict the formation stage of the mandibular first molars (correct in 87% w ithin the study material) and most difficult to predict second molars and s econd premolars (correct in 69% and 70%, respectively). We expect the data and formulae presented in this study to prove useful in research and in cli nical and forensic dentistry.