Prediction of Mandibular Growth Potential Using Cervical Vertebral Bone Age in Saudi Subjects

Keywords: Mandibular growth potential, Cervical vertebral bone age, Growth modification, Saudi, Prediction.<br>Abstract. Assessment of mandibular growth potential is an essential component of proper diagnosis and treatment<br>planning in orthodontics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of utilizing the cervical vertebral<br>bone age method to predict the mandibular growth potential in a group of growing Saudi individuals. The sample<br>consisted of the lateral cephalometric radiographs of untreated 84 Saudi subjects (33 male and 51 female) with<br>class I skeletal relationship. The subjects were divided based on the gender and chronological age into four groups:<br>young male (n = 15, 10.06 ± 0.25 years), young female group (n = 30, 12 ± 1.58 years), adult male (n =18, 21.29 ±<br>3.42 years), and adult female (n =21, 21 ± 3.15 years). The mandibular growth potential in each young subject was<br>calculated using an established cervical vertebral bone age method. No significant difference (p<0.05) was found<br>between the mandibular length value predicted by the cervical vertebral bone age and the actual mandibular length<br>in the adult group for both genders. The findings of this study demonstrate the validity and accuracy of the cervical<br>vertebral bone age method in predicting the mandibular growth potential in growing Saudi subjects and can be<br>found clinically useful during treatment planning for jaw growth modification therapy.