Adolescent Body Mass Index and Skeletal Maturation Assessed with Hassel and Farman’s Cervical Vertebrae Staging Method

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity and underweight are two growing paradox problems in today’s world. The global disparity in terms of fat

and hungry zones is the most visceral way, in which this inequality is lived, felt, and seen. Body mass index (BMI) is normally

used to describe of the level of fatness. Orthodontists frequently deal with children and adolescents for growth modulation therapy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the increase or decrease in BMI influences the skeletal maturation

in adolescent orthodontic patients.

Material and Method: Four BMI groups: Group I (underweight), Group II (normal-weight),

Group III (overweight), and Group IV (obese) with 25 subjects each and of 14–17 years of age were studied. Each subject’s lateral

cephalogram was studied for cervical vertebrae (CV) as a skeletal maturation indicator using Hassel and Farman’s CV maturation

index (CVMI) staging.

Statistical Analysis: Analysis was performed using the SPSS version 20.0. Pearson product correlation

was run to determine the relationship between BMI and CVMI. Linear regression and ANOVA was performed for finding the

regression correlation between the BMI and CVMI.

Results: The Pearson correlation test showed statistically significant linear

relationship between BMI and CVMI (r = 0.423). The correlation was between BMI and CVMI, which was with 95% confidence

with P < 0.001 (two-tailed). ANOVA test was used to find the regression correlation between BMI and CVMI, in which the beta

(standardized regression coefficient) was 0.423.

Conclusion: There was a significant positive linear relationship between CVMI

and BMI, where an increase in BMI is likely to affect the CVMI and thereby the skeletal maturation.

Key words: Cervical vertebral maturation, skeletal maturation, body mass index, obesity, underweight