Dental Age Estimation by Demirjian, Willems, and Cameriere Methods in Children with Familial Mediterranean Fever: A Case–Control Study
Highlights
- The Willems method provided the most accurate estimates, while Demirjian consistently overestimated chronological age.
- Similar dental ages were observed between children with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) and healthy peers.
- FMF, under regular colchicine treatment, does not negatively affect dental maturation.
- Willems and Cameriere methods provide reliable dental age estimation in Turkish pediatric populations, including children with FMF.
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design
2.2. Inclusion Criteria for the FMF Group
- Pediatric patients aged 4–15 years;
- Had no chronic disease in addition to FMF;
- Regularly use colchicine with a mean dose required to control the disease of 1 mg/day (0.5–2 mg/day);
- Had no congenitally missing teeth;
- Had good orthopantomograph quality.
2.3. Exclusion Criteria for the Study
- Patients who had blurred or distorted radiographs;
- Had missing teeth (genesis or extraction) in any of the seven left permanent mandibular teeth;
- Had dental abnormalities (e.g., dilaceration or supernumerary teeth) and developmental disorders (e.g., cleft lip and palate);
- Had incomplete medical or dental history.
2.4. Inclusion Criteria for the Control Group
- Pediatric patients aged 4–15 years;
- Systemically healthy with no diagnosed chronic or autoinflammatory disease;
- No history or clinical suspicion of FMF and not using colchicine (or other anti-inflammatory or immune-modulating drugs);
- No congenitally missing teeth;
- Had high-quality orthopantomographs suitable for evaluation;
- Had complete medical and dental records.
2.5. Exclusion Criteria for the Control Group
- Blurred or distorted radiographs;
- Missing teeth (agenesis or extraction) in any of the seven left permanent mandibular teeth;
- Dental anomalies (e.g., dilaceration or supernumerary teeth) or developmental disorders (e.g., cleft lip and palate);
- Incomplete medical or dental history;
- Any systemic disease diagnosis or regular medication use that could affect growth or dental development.
2.6. Radiographic Evaluation
2.7. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
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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| Groups | Chronological Age (Years) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5–5.99 | 6–6.99 | 7–7.99 | 8–8.99 | 9–9.99 | 10–10.99 | 11–11.99 | 12–12.99 | 13–13.99 | 14–14.99 | 15–15.99 | |
| Control | |||||||||||
| Girls | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Boys | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| FMF | |||||||||||
| Girls | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| Boys | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| Girl (n = 68) | Boy (n = 88) | Total (n = 176) | Test Statics | p | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean ± S.D | Med (min–max) | Mean ± S.D | Med (min–max) | Mean ± S.D | Med (min–max) | |||
| Chronologic Age | 10.4 ± 2.65 | 10.5 (5.40–14.8) | 10.21 ± 2.68 | 10.15 (5.00–15.8) | 10.3 ± 2.66 | 10.3 (5–15.8) | 0.510 | 0.611 |
| Demirjian | 11.5 ± 2.62 | 12.0 (6.80–16.0) | 10.98 ± 2.81 | 10.40 (5.50–16.0) | 11.2 ± 2.73 | 11.4 (5.5–16.0) | 1.159 | 0.248 |
| Willems | 10.9 ± 2.53 | 11.8 (5.72–16.0) | 10.54 ± 2.60 | 10.68 (5.21–16.0) | 10.7 ± 2.57 | 11 (5.21–16.0) | 0.929 | 0.354 |
| Cameriere | 10.1 ± 2.23 | 10.4 (5.60–16.0) | 9.46 ± 2.41 | 9.46 (5.68–16.0) | 9.94 ± 2.33 | 10.3 (5.60–16.0) | 0.929 | 0.354 |
| Control (n = 78) | FMF (n = 78) | Test Statistic | p | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean ± S.D | Med (min–max) | Mean ± S.D | Med (min–max) | |||
| Chronologic Age | 10.14 ± 2.55 | 10.1 (5.20–14.5) | 10.5 ± 2.77 | 10.6 (5.0–15.8) | −0.764 | 0.446 |
| Demirjian | 11.10 ± 2.63 | 11.7 (6.80–16.0) | 11.30 ± 2.85 | 10.3 (5.50–16.0) | −0.437 | 0.663 |
| Willems | 10.63 ± 2.34 | 11.3 (6.09–14.3) | 10.8 ± 2.80 | 10.9 (5.21–16.0) | −0.383 | 0.703 |
| Cameriere | 9.73 ± 2.0 | 10.2 (6.32–13.3) | 10.1 ± 2.62 | 10.4 (5.60–16.0) | −1.123 | 0.263 |
| Gender | Control | FMF | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | DA-CAd | 0.96 ± 0.99 | 0.83 ± 0.95 | 0.496 x |
| DA-CAw | 0.48 ± 0.80 | 0.32 ± 0.93 | 0.255 x | |
| DA-CAc | −0.41± 0.94 | −0.31± 0.94 | 0.718 y | |
| Girl | DA-CAd | 1.18 ± 1.18 | 0.94 ± 0.79 | 0.064 x |
| DA-CAw | 0.65 ± 0.95 | 0.33 ± 0.94 | 0.260 x | |
| DA-CAc | −0.41 ± 1.08 | −0.16 ± 1.08 | 0.415 y | |
| Boy | DA-CAd | 0.79± 0.79 | 0.75 ± 1.06 | 0.595 x |
| DA-CAw | 0.35 ± 0.65 | 0.32 ± 1.02 | 0.835 x | |
| DA-CAc | −0.41 ± 0.83 | −0.43 ± 1.10 | 0.863 x |
| Demirjian | Willems | Cameriere | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ±0.25 | 18.06 | 18.06 | 14.84 |
| ±0.50 | 33.55 | 30.97 | 38.06 |
| ±0.75 | 42.58 | 50.97 | 54.84 |
| ±1.00 | 54.49 | 69.87 | 66.67 |
| ±1.25 | 62.58 | 78.71 | 80.00 |
| ±1.50 | 72.90 | 89.03 | 83.87 |
| ±1.75 | 80.00 | 92.26 | 88.39 |
| ±2.00 | 90.97 | 98.71 | 94.84 |
| Gender | Group | ICC (%95 CI) a | ICC (%95 CI) b | ICC (%95 CI) c |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Control | 0.942 (0.912–0.961) | 0.960 (0.939–0.973) | 0.943 (0.914–0.962) |
| FMF | 0.971 (0.954–0.981) | 0.971 (0.955–0.982) | 0.962 (0.940–0.976) | |
| Girl | Control | 0.926 (0.863–0.960) | 0.957 (0.920–0.977) | 0.942 (0.893–0.969) |
| FMF | 0.958 (0.918–0.979) | 0.977 (0.954–0.989) | 0.967 (0.934–0.984) | |
| Boy | Control | 0.959 (0.927–0.976) | 0.961 (0.932–0.978) | 0.940 (0.895–0.966) |
| FMF | 0.966 (0.938–0.981) | 0.967 (0.940–0.982) | 0.962 (0.926–0.978) |
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Altan, H.; Sönmezgöz, E.; Belevcikli, M.; Altunok Ünlü, N.; Gül, A.; Demiray, M.D.; Altan, A. Dental Age Estimation by Demirjian, Willems, and Cameriere Methods in Children with Familial Mediterranean Fever: A Case–Control Study. Children 2025, 12, 1458. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12111458
Altan H, Sönmezgöz E, Belevcikli M, Altunok Ünlü N, Gül A, Demiray MD, Altan A. Dental Age Estimation by Demirjian, Willems, and Cameriere Methods in Children with Familial Mediterranean Fever: A Case–Control Study. Children. 2025; 12(11):1458. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12111458
Chicago/Turabian StyleAltan, Halenur, Ergün Sönmezgöz, Melek Belevcikli, Nihal Altunok Ünlü, Ali Gül, Müzeyyen Dilşah Demiray, and Ahmet Altan. 2025. "Dental Age Estimation by Demirjian, Willems, and Cameriere Methods in Children with Familial Mediterranean Fever: A Case–Control Study" Children 12, no. 11: 1458. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12111458
APA StyleAltan, H., Sönmezgöz, E., Belevcikli, M., Altunok Ünlü, N., Gül, A., Demiray, M. D., & Altan, A. (2025). Dental Age Estimation by Demirjian, Willems, and Cameriere Methods in Children with Familial Mediterranean Fever: A Case–Control Study. Children, 12(11), 1458. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12111458

