| dc.description.abstract | The need for in-depth knowledge of dental emergence and
calcification in orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning cannot
be disputed. Serial extractions, treatment timing, bite opening and
closing, expansion and various other orthodontic procedures cannot be
successfully executed without an in depth knowledge of the
calcification and eruption of teeth. Besides its orthodontic
implications, dental calcification and eruption plays a significant
role in physical anthropology, forensic odontology, endocrinology and
nutrition (Demirjian, 1978). Forensic scientists are agreed that
teeth constitute the most important and reliable means for determining
age from approximately 10 week in utero to old age (Altini, 1983).
It is a generally accepted fact that there is no correlation
between biological age and chronological age (Prahl-Andersen and Van
der Linden, 1972; Demirjian, 1978), an aspect, which will be discussed
in further detail later in the review of the literature. Biological
age is seen to be a more accurate indicator of an individuals maturity
than chronological age (Moorees et al, 1963; Prahl-Andersen and Van
der Linden, 1973; Oemirjian et al, 1973). However, allocating a
biological age to an individual is not an easy exercise as no definite
consensus has, to date, been reached regarding the best method of
determining biological age (Moorees et al, 1963; Garn et al, 1967;
Demirjian, 1978). Today, many different methods are being used to
establish this, for example bone age, height, menarche, circumpubertal
growth and dental age. | en_US |
