Fatima Khalidi , Chatura Hegde, Nafiseh Sahaf, Jayaprasad Darsan, Ashim Roy

ABSTRACT

Introduction. The aim of this study was to examine the variability between the subjective and objective methods of assessing skeletal age using cervical vertebral maturation stages and to find out which objective method gives a better estimate of skeletal age. Materials and Methods. Standardised lateral cephalograms of thirty subjects (female-12, male-18) in their circum-pubertal growth period were taken. For the subjective assessment of skeletal age using cervical vertebral maturation stages, Hassel and Farman (HF) and Franchi, Baccetti and McNamara(FBM) methods were used. For the objective method, T.Mito et al (TM) and P.Beit et al (PB) methods were used. Two observers assessed, the skeletal maturation for each subject to find out the inter-examiner error for both subjective and objective methods, also the co-relation of skeletal age obtained by the two objective methods with the bone age determined by hand wrist radiograph was done. Results. The results showed that there was a poor agreement present between two observers in both the subjective methods and the objective method given by P.Beit. There was significant inter-examiner agreement while calculating age through T.Mito et al objective method. However, the result showed that P.Beit method showed higher co-relation with the skeletal age when the same was assessed by hand wrist. Conclusion. There is less inter-examiner error present between observers in objective methods when compared to subjective methods of skeletal age assessment and P.Beit method of objective assessment of skeletal age better co-relates with the Tanner Whitehouse method of skeletal age assessment.