Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Oral and Dental Medicine - Department of Orthodontics

Aim of this study: 1.to assess the pubertal growth spurt in a group of Port Said & Damietta school male adolescents, using the developmental stages of the middle phalanx of the middle finger (MP3) as a skeletal maturation index. 2.to evaluate the skeletal maturity age differences between Port Said & Damietta male adolescents and other populations. Materials & Methods: A sample of 1618 male students for Port Said & Damietta was included in this study with age range from 11 to 16 years was collected. A Radiograph for the middle phalanx of the middle finger by digital dental radiograph for the assessment of MP3 maturation stages was taken for each subject. Results: The MP3-G stage (signifying the peak of pubertal growth spurt) was found with high prevalence in subjects aged >13-14 years with mean of age 13.31 y. Conclusion: 1.The mean skeletal maturity age (MP3-G stage) that represents the peak of height velocity (PHV) in Egyptian adolescent males of Port Said & Damietta was found to be 13.31 y ± 0.79 years which was approximately 6.84 months after pre-peak stage. 2.The start of the pre-peak stage (MP3-FG) of pubertal growth was reached at 12.74y ± 0.75 years This means that the growth modulation treatment by functional orthodontic appliances should be done in male adolescents within range of 12.74y to 14.15y that represents the active period of pubertal growth between the pre-peak (MP3-FG) and the post-peak (MP3-H) stages respectively. 3.The Egyptian male adolescents, of the studied sample, mature earlier than Indonesians and Saudi Arabian but later than the New Zealand and Rwandese boys and nearly match white Americans adolescents. 4.The newly digital radiography of the MP3 region is definitely an available, simple technique of high clarity, low radiation. It is also cost-effective and time-saving for the assessment of the skeletal developmental stage, which is essential in diagnosis and treatment planning for orthodontists, pedodontists, as well as many other health disciplines

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