Comparison of maturation stages of third finger medium phalanx of right and left hands, in 8 to 15 year old patients

Abstract

The aim of the investigation was to determine the differences between maturing stages of third finger medium phalanx (MP3) of left and right hands. We postulated the hypothesis of the existence of significant differences between the MP3 maturation stages of both hands. A sample of 84 children was extracted from 8 to 15 years old patients of the Dentistry Faculty of UNMSM. First, the child was instructed to place his or her hand with the palm downward on a flat table of wood (20 x 30 cm), with the third finger straight with the long axis of standard size periapical dental x-ray film, in such a way that the middle phalanx was located in the center of the film. The cone of the dental x-ray machine was positioned in light contact with the middle phalanx perpendicular to the dental x-ray film. This procedure was made first with the left hand and then with the right hand. The results showed that the distribution of all stages was the same for both hands, but there was an exception in the stages of H and I where the H stage of the left hand had three patients less than the right hand. After the Chi Square Test (95%), we found that both hands were highly related (p < 0.005), for that reason we stayed that the differences were not significant. We concluded that the radiographic shot of MP3, according to the method used, can be obtained equally in the right or left hand, due to the fact that the differences are not clinically or statistically significant.