Assessment of maturity in orthodontics: A review

Precise evaluation of maturational stage should be an integral part of both diagnosis and treatment. Different authors had reported different methods in an attempt to determine the best indicator of maturity. These include body height, body weight; sexual maturation; frontal sinus, chronological age, biological age or physiological age; hand-wrist maturity cervical vertebrae; dental eruption; dental calcification stages and biomarkers. Ever the method has its own advantages, disadvantages and over the other method. However, still researches are being done to explore best method to assess the maturity of an individual. This article reviews the methods of assessment of skeletal maturation.