Predicting Mandibular Growth Potential Based on Cervical Vertebral Bone Age Using Lateral Cephalometric Radiographs in a Sample of the Saudi Population

This study estimated the predictive accuracy of the mandibular growth potential based on cervical vertebral bone age using digital lateral cephalograms in a sample of the Saudi population. Methods: This study included digital lateral cephalograms of eighty subjects aged 10–21 years divided into adult and young groups. Cervical vertebral age was calculated by tracing and measuring the third and fourth cervical vertebrae on lateral cephalograms, and the mandibular growth potential was estimated using the Mito et al. regression equation. The accuracy of the calculated CVB age was verified via comparison with the chronological age. The data analyses included independent sample t-tests for testing the differences in mean values and Pearson correlation coefficients to examine the relationship between dependent and independent variables. Results: A significant difference was noted between the mean cervical vertebral age and chronological age in the young group for both males (p = 0.0003) and females (p = 0.033). The correlation coefficient between cervical vertebral age and chronological age in the young male group was higher (r = 0.934) than that in the young females (r = 0.254). Conclusions: The mandibular growth potential prediction based on CVB age using the regression equation of Mito et al. was applicable only to the young Saudi males. Further studies are needed to develop new multiple regression models to obtain cervical vertebral age more accurately for both genders in the Saudi population.