O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a aplicabilidade do método de análise para determinar a idade vertebral proposto por Caldas et al., 2007 em crianças de baixa renda. A amostra se constituiu de radiografias cefalometricas e carpais de 76 meninos e 64 meninas com idade entre 7,0 a 14,9 anos que vivem em zona rural de um município sergipano. Os corpos das vértebras C3 e C4 foram traçadas e mensuradas e em seguida as idades ósseas foram estimadas. A idade media estimada para as meninas foi de 10,62 anos e a idade óssea carpal foi de 11,28 anos; o erro médio de 1,42 anos. A idade media estimada para os meninos foi de 10,44 anos e a idade óssea carpal foi de 10,57 anos com erro médio de 1,18 anos. Baseado nos resultados, o modelo proposto por Caldas et al. (2007) não pode ser aplicada na população estudada, e portanto novos modelos de regressão foram desenvolvidos.

This study evaluated the applicability of the regression method for determining vertebral age developed by Caldas et al. (2007) by testing this method in children from low-income families of the rural zone. The sample comprised cephalometric and hand-wrist radiographs of 76 boys and 64 girls aged 7.0 to 14.9 years living in a medium-sized city in the desert region of the northeastern region of Brazil, with an HDI of 0.678. C3 and C4 vertebrae were traced and measured on cephalometric radiographs to estimate the bone age. The average age, average hand-wrist age and average error estimated for girls and boys were, respectively, 10.62 and 10.44 years, 11.28 and 10.57 years, and 1.42 and 1.18 years. Based on these results, the formula proposed by Caldas et al. (2007) was not applicable to the studied population, and new multiple regression models were developed to obtain the children's vertebral bone age accurately.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to establish which materials afford better simulation of soft tissues in Oral Radiology studies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The sample was composed of four materials in eleven different thicknesses to simulate the soft tissues of the face. The mean values of the relative amounts of radiographic contrast of the materials were determined and compared to a gold standard value, which was obtained from 20 patients who were referred to have periapical radiographs taken of the left mandibular molars. Data were subjected to statistical analysis with Dunnett's test (p<0.05). RESULTS: The mean value of the relative amounts of contrast encountered in the patients was 0.47, with a range between 0.36 and 0.64 for all 44 material/thickness combinations. The majority of the tested materials showed values close to those of the patients' tissues, without statistically signifcant differences among them. The values of only three materials/thickness combinations differed statistically from those of the patients' tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of the present study, it may be concluded that except for utility wax (4 mm and 8 mm) and water (4 mm), all materials tested at different thickness could be used as soft tissue substitute materials in Oral Radiology studies.

The aims of this study were to develop a computerized program for objectively evaluating skeletal maturation on cephalometric radiographs, and to apply the new method to Brazilian subjects. The samples were taken from the patient files of Oral Radiological Clinics from the North, Northeast, Midwest and South regions of the country. A total of 717 subjects aged 7.0 to 15.9 years who had lateral cephalometric radiographs and hand-wrist radiographs were selected. A cervical vertebral computerized analysis was created in the Radiocef Studio 2 computer software for digital cephalometric analysis, and cervical vertebral bone age was calculated using the formulas developed by Caldas et al.17 (2007). Hand-wrist bone age was evaluated by the TW3 method. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Tukey test were used to compare cervical vertebral bone age, hand-wrist bone age and chronological age (P < 0.05). No significant difference was found between cervical vertebral bone age and chronological age in all regions studied. When analyzing bone age, it was possible to observe a statistically significant difference between cervical vertebral bone age and hand-wrist bone age for female and male subjects in the North and Northeast regions, as well as for male subjects in the Midwest region. No significant difference was observed between bone age and chronological age in all regions except for male subjects in the North and female subjects in the Northeast. Using cervical vertebral bone age, it might be possible to evaluate skeletal maturation in an objective manner using cephalometric radiographs.

O objetivo deste estudo foi estabelecer dois novos métodos para meninas e meninos brasileiros, no intuito de determinar de forma objetiva a maturação esquelética das vértebras cervicais em radiografias cefalométricas laterais. Foram selecionados 128 meninas e 110 meninos, com faixa etária variando entre 7 e 15,9 anos, pertencentes à Clínica de Radiologia da Faculdade de Odontologia de Piracicaba da Universidade de Campinas (Unicamp). Os corpos da terceira e quarta vértebras cervicais foram traçados e medidos e fórmulas de regressão foram criadas no intuito de se estabelecer a idade óssea das vértebras cervicais. Uma outra amostra composta por telerradiografias em normal lateral e radiografias carpais de 55 meninas e 54 meninos com a mesma faixa etária foi utilizada para verificar a confiabilidade das fórmulas criadas, em comparação à idade óssea determinada pelo método de Tanner et al.15 (2001) (TW3) em radiografias carpais. A análise da amostra feminina e masculina (ANOVA) revelou não haver diferença estatística significativa entre idade óssea da vértebra cervical, idade esquelética e idade cronológica, indicando que as fórmulas desenvolvidas podem ser utilizadas nesta população (p = 0,5721 e p = 0,6007 para meninas e meninos, respectivamente). Os corpos da terceira e quarta vértebras cervicais aumentaram de forma acelerada dos 10 aos 13 anos nas meninas. A análise da amostra masculina revelou aumento acelerado de C3 dos 12 aos 15 anos. A vértebra C4, no entanto, não aumentou em tamanho. Utilizando a idade óssea de vértebras cervicais, é possível avaliar a maturidade esquelética de forma objetiva em radiografias cefalométricas laterais.

The aim of this study was to establish two new formulas for objectively evaluating skeletal maturation of cervical vertebrae in female and male Brazilian subjects using lateral cephalometric radiographs. The sample included 128 girls and 110 boys, aged 7.0 to 15.9 years, from the files of the Oral Radiology Clinic, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas (Unicamp), SP, Brazil. The cervical vertebral bodies of C3 and C4 were traced and measured and regression formulas were developed in order to determine cervical vertebral bone age. Another sample of lateral teleradiographs and hand-wrist radiographs of 55 girls and 54 boys (aged 7.0 to 15.9 years) was used to verify the reliability of the developed regression formulas, as compared with bone age assessed using the Tanner et al.15 (2001) Method (TW3) in hand-wrist radiographs. The analysis of both the boys’ and girls’ data (ANOVA) showed no statistical difference between cervical vertebral bone age, bone age, and chronological age, indicating that these formulas can be used in this population (p = 0.5721 and p = 0.6007 for girls and boys, respectively). Female cervical vertebral bodies of C3 and C4 increased in an accelerated manner from 10 to 13 years. Analysis of the male sample showed that C3 measurements increased in an accelerated manner from 12 to 15 years. The C4 measurements, however, did not increase at all. Using cervical vertebral bone age it is possible to evaluate skeletal maturation objectively in cephalometric radiographs.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether skeletal maturation using cephalometric radiographs could be used in a Brazilian population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study population was selected from the files of the Oral Radiological Clinic of the Dental School of Piracicaba, Brazil and consisted of 128 girls and 110 boys (7.0 to 15.9 years old) who had cephalometric and hand-wrist radiographs taken on the same day. Cervical vertebral bone age was evaluated using the method described by Mito and colleagues in 2002. Bone age was assessed by the Tanner-Whitehouse (TW3) method and was used as a gold standard to determine the reliability of cervical vertebral bone age. An analysis of variance and Tukey's post-hoc test were used to compare cervical vertebral bone age, bone age and chronological age at 5% significance level. RESULTS: The analysis of the Brazilian female children data showed that there was a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between cervical vertebral bone age and chronological age and between bone age and chronological age. However no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) was found between cervical vertebral bone age and bone age. Differently, the analysis of the male children data revealed a statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between cervical vertebral bone age and bone age and between cervical vertebral bone age and chronological age (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study suggest that the method for objectively evaluating skeletal maturation on cephalometric radiographs by determination of vertebral bone age can be applied to Brazilian females only. The development of a new method to objectively evaluate cervical vertebral bone age in males is needed.