Assessment of Cervical Vertebral Maturation and Chronological Age in Yemeni Children and Adolescents Using Lateral Cephalometric Radiographs

Background: The timing of growth plays a crucial role in effective orthodontic treatment planning. This is also true for cervical vertebral maturation (CVM), which does not always align with chronological age (CA). This study evalu-ated the correlation between indices of CVM and CA in 240 lateral cephalometric radiographs (LCRs) of male and female Yemeni children and adolescents, 8 to 19 years of age. Material/Methods: A prospective study of 240 LCRs of 120 males and 120 females aged 8 to 19 years, was conducted from December 2022 to October 2023 using Baccetti’s method, with some modifications to CVM. The superior, in-ferior, posterior, and anterior borders of second, third, and fourth cervical vertebrae were traced to identify the inferior concavity depth and shape of the vertebrae. CVM stages were assessed at 6 different growing times. Pearson correlation coefficient was used, and a P value of <0.05 indicated statistical significance. Results: Spearman correlation revealed a statistically significant association between CVM stage and CA (r=0.887; P<0.000). Significant differences between males and females were found in cervical stage (CS) 4 and CS5 (P<0.05). Mean CA at CS4 was 13.18±1.58 years for males and 12.15±1.10 years for females, and the mean CA at CS5 was 16.33±1.29 years for males and 15.23±1.62 years for females. Conclusions: Pubertal growth spurts occurred at 10.25-13.18 years in males and 10.04-12.15 years in females, indicating females achieve maturation earlier than males. This research provides a reliable framework for orthodontic treatment planning.