Vertebral bone maturation in children 8 -14 year-old at orthodontic clinics of University Colleges of Colombia (UNICOC) based in Cali

SUMMARYObjective: Determine the stages of vertebralbone maturation in children 8-14year-old belonging to Colombian mestizopopulation at the Valle del Cauca.Materials and methods: Cervical bone maturationis an effective method to determinethe pubertal growth spurting children, thisallows to evaluate the ideal time to iniciateorthodontic or orthopedic treatment. In 130lateral radiographs beloning to children 8to14 year-old from records of the graduateorthodontic clinic of the university collegesof Cali Colombia were analized usingcervical bone maturation according to theBaccetti modified method.Results: We found that children in this agerange had their pubertal growth spurt at 12to 14 year of age.Conclusion: The cervical bone maturationstage (CVS3) corresponding to the pubertalgrowth peak in the age group12 to14 yearoldis reached first by the girls.Key words: Vertebrae cervical, orthodontics,radiography, cervical bone maturation.