A new method for assessment of dental maturity using the individual curve of number of erupted permanent teeth.

A new method for the evaluation of dental age in healthy children, using the curve of the total number of erupted permanent teeth, is presented. The method is based on the observation that the curves of the total number of teeth erupted are parallel and similar in shape in different individuals provided that logarithms are used for both age and number of erupted teeth. The chronological age for a specific reference point on the eruption curve was determined graphically in individual subjects. At this age each child has reached the same degree of dental maturity. A group of 133 healthy boys and 137 girls was examined annually for seven years. The mean age at the reference point of the tooth eruption curve was 8.75 years for the boys and 8.44 years for the girls.