Does cropping lateral cephalograms affect CVM staging reliability?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
To determine the reliability and reproducibility of CVM stage determination in cropped and full lateral cephalometric images amongst orthodontists in training and specialist orthodontists.
IRAS ID
174153
Contact name
Jayne Harrison
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Knowledge of the growth and development of the face and jaws is essential for the comprehensive and successful management of orthodontic patients. The potential for remaining growth plays a crucial role in the orthodontic diagnosis, treatment planning, result and overall stability of the patient’s outcome. Several methods have been described to help assess growth potential but often require additional radiographic exposure. The Cervical Vertebral Maturation (CVM) staging tool uses the size and shape of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th vertebrae in the neck to assess an individual patients developmental stage. This information is available on a radiograph called a lateral cephalogram which is taken as part of routine orthodontic records and is therefore easily accessible with no additional exposure to radiation. However, there is controversy in the literature as to whether to view the neck bones from full or cropped lateral cephalograms.
This study's primary objective is therefore to assess how reliable is the CVM stage determination, using both full and cropped lateral cephalometric radiographs, amongst trainee orthodontists and specialist orthodontists. The secondary objective is to discover if cropped images affect the reliability of the CVM staging method?The study will be conducted as a reliability study and is anticipated to be completed within a 2 year period.
All lateral cephalograms will be selected from those taken for patients who started orthodontic treatment at Liverpool University Dental Hospital, having previously been assessed suitable for treatment under the NHS criteria for care, between October 2014 and January 2015. All patients will have undergone standard assessment and orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning.Funding to conduct the study will be met from the DDSc research account.
REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/1660
Date of REC Opinion
15 Sep 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion