The temporal course of third molar mineralization in a black South African population
摘要
There are only a few studies available on the temporal course of third molar mineralization in sub-Saharan Africans. In the present study, 904 orthopantomograms (OPGs) of self-classified black South Africans aged 12–26 years with confirmed dates of birth were examined. 748 OPGs showed at least one evaluable mandibular third molar. The stages of mineralization for teeth 38 and 48 were determined by consensus according to the stage classification by Demirjian et al. (Hum Biol 45:221–227,