Researcher Lamis Ahmed Ali Al-Shahari was awarded a Master’s Degree in Orthodontics for her thesis titled: Association of Body Mass Index Percentile with Skeletal and Dental Maturation, which was submitted to the Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry– Sana’a University. The MA defense was held on Monday, October 19, 2026‎‎.

The MA Viva-voce Committee, which was formed based on a resolution issued by the Graduate Studies and Scientific Research Council, consisted of the following:

·Prof. Khaled Ahmed Al-Dhara’i – Thamar University – External Examiner and Chair.

·Assoc. Prof. Abdulqader Mohammed Zabara – Sana’a University – Main Supervisor.

·Dr. Rami Abdulrahman Ishaq – Sana’a University – Internal Examiner and Committee Member.

·Prof. Ghamdan Abdullah Al-Harazi – Sana’a University – Co-Supervisor.

The study aimed to investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and both skeletal and dental maturation in Yemeni children and adolescents. It was motivated by the importance of assessing biological maturity alongside chronological age in orthodontics and pediatric dentistry, particularly in identifying growth stages and planning treatment according to each patient’s needs.

The study sample comprised 208 participants aged 8–19 years, including 125 females and 83 males, recruited from patients attending the Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry Departments at Sana’a University.

Weight and height were measured, and BMI was calculated. Dental maturation was assessed using panoramic radiographs based on the modified Demirjian method proposed by Williams, while skeletal maturation was evaluated using lateral cephalometric radiographs according to Baccetti’s Cervical Vertebral Maturation (CVM) method. The data were statistically analyzed to examine the relationships between BMI and the different maturation indicators.

The study yielded the following key findings:

  • BMI exhibited a moderate-to-strong positive correlation with cervical vertebral maturation stages and showed a positive correlation with dental age.
  • Cervical vertebral maturation stages correlated strongly and positively with both dental and chronological age, underscoring the importance of these indicators in assessing biological maturity in children and adolescents.
  • Females were more frequently represented in the advanced cervical vertebral maturation stages and had higher BMI values than males; however, no statistically significant sex differences were observed in dental or chronological age.
  • Ordinal logistic regression analysis indicated statistically significant associations of both dental age and BMI with cervical vertebral maturation stages, with dental age exhibiting a stronger association, highlighting the importance of considering these indicators when assessing growth and maturation stages.

The study concluded that BMI was significantly associated with both skeletal and dental maturation, and confirmed strong associations between cervical vertebral maturation stages and both dental and chronological age. The findings also revealed sex-related differences in skeletal maturation stages and BMI values, with dental age emerging as a stronger indicator of cervical vertebral maturation stages than BMI.

The thesis defense was attended by faculty members, researchers, graduate students, and interested participants as well as the researcher's colleagues and family members.