OBSERVATION OF CHILDREN'S TEETH AS A DIAGNOSTIC AID: A REVIEW. I. DENTITION IN THE ASSESSMENT OF DEVELOPMENT.

The accuracy of information obtained from such a simple procedure as looking in the mouth as a measure of child development led to this review. The relationship between dental and physical development has been known for many years. Methods of assessing maturity by counting erupted teeth are described. Measurements taken on two boys illustrated this hypothesis, and from these the close correlation between height and weight, bone age and dental age is shown. It is suggested that physicians and dentists should record the number of erupted teeth on interval examinations, since the pattern of eruption and calcification of teeth may present the first indication of developmental retardation.