Exploratory Analysis of Dental Age Differences in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Using the Demirjian Method
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design and Ethical Approval
2.2. Study Population
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- Diabetes group (DG): 45 children diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes mellitus and undergoing regular endocrinological follow-up.
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- Control group (CG): 45 systemically healthy children matched for age, sex, and dento-maxillary characteristics.
2.3. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria
- Inclusion criteria
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- Age between 8 and 15 years;
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- Availability of high-quality panoramic radiographs;
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- Presence of all seven permanent mandibular teeth required for dental age assessment;
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- Diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes mellitus (for the DG);
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- Absence of systemic disease (for the CG);
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- Angle Class I occlusal relationship.
- Exclusion criteria
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- Systemic diseases affecting growth or mineral metabolism;
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- Craniofacial anomalies or syndromes;
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- History of orthodontic treatment;
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- Congenital absence of mandibular teeth required for analysis;
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- Radiographs of insufficient quality for accurate assessment.
2.4. Assessment of Glycemic Control
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- Good metabolic control: HbA1c < 7.5%;
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- Suboptimal metabolic control: HbA1c ≥ 7.5%.
2.5. Dental Age Assessment
2.6. Chronological Age Determination
2.7. Statistical Analysis
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- Independent samples t-tests were used to compare CA, DA, and HbA1c between groups.
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- Paired samples t-tests were used to compare CA and DA within each group.
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- Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient was applied to assess agreement between CA and DA.
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- Linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between HbA1c and dental age in the Diabetes group.
3. Results
3.1. Agreement Between Dental and Chronological Age
3.2. Between-Group and Within-Group Comparisons
- Between-group comparisons
- Within-group comparisons
3.3. Association Between Glycemic Control and Dental Age
3.4. Graphical Representation of Findings
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| N | Mean | Median | SD | Range | Min | Max | P25 | P75 | IQR | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | CA (y) | 45 | 11.058 | 11.100 | 1.615 | 5.500 | 8.400 | 13.900 | 9.650 | 12.450 | 2.800 |
| DA (y) | 45 | 12.618 | 12.600 | 1.762 | 6.100 | 9.600 | 15.700 | 11.100 | 14.150 | 3.050 | |
| Control | CA (y) | 45 | 10.951 | 10.900 | 1.648 | 5.400 | 8.400 | 13.800 | 9.450 | 12.350 | 2.900 |
| DA (y) | 45 | 11.011 | 11.000 | 1.683 | 5.700 | 8.300 | 14.000 | 9.450 | 12.350 | 2.900 | |
| N | Mean | Median | SD | Range | Min | Max | P25 | P75 | IQR | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HbA1c (%) | Diabetes | 45 | 7.491 | 7.500 | 0.437 | 1.700 | 6.600 | 8.300 | 7.200 | 7.800 | 0.600 |
| Variable | Diabetes Group (n = 45) | Control Group (n = 45) | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years), mean ± SD | 11.06 ± 1.62 | 10.95 ± 1.65 | 0.757 |
| Dental Age (years), mean ± SD | 12.62 ± 1.76 | 11.01 ± 1.68 | <0.001 |
| HbA1c (%), mean ± SD | 7.49 ± 0.44 | 5.08 ± 0.34 | <0.001 |
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Dămășaru, M.S.; Bud, E.; Bucur, S.M.; Păcurar, M.; Chibelean, M.; Pop, S.-I.; Zalana, A.Ș.; Muntean, I.E.; Petcu, L.C.; Tilinca, M.C. Exploratory Analysis of Dental Age Differences in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Using the Demirjian Method. Diagnostics 2026, 16, 1395. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16091395
Dămășaru MS, Bud E, Bucur SM, Păcurar M, Chibelean M, Pop S-I, Zalana AȘ, Muntean IE, Petcu LC, Tilinca MC. Exploratory Analysis of Dental Age Differences in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Using the Demirjian Method. Diagnostics. 2026; 16(9):1395. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16091395
Chicago/Turabian StyleDămășaru, Maria Simona, Eugen Bud, Sorana Maria Bucur, Mariana Păcurar, Manuela Chibelean, Silvia-Izabella Pop, Alexandru Ștefan Zalana, Irina Elena Muntean, Lucian Cristian Petcu, and Mariana Cornelia Tilinca. 2026. "Exploratory Analysis of Dental Age Differences in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Using the Demirjian Method" Diagnostics 16, no. 9: 1395. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16091395
APA StyleDămășaru, M. S., Bud, E., Bucur, S. M., Păcurar, M., Chibelean, M., Pop, S.-I., Zalana, A. Ș., Muntean, I. E., Petcu, L. C., & Tilinca, M. C. (2026). Exploratory Analysis of Dental Age Differences in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Using the Demirjian Method. Diagnostics, 16(9), 1395. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16091395

