Salivary IGF-1 And Chronological Age As Parameters For Skeletal Maturity Prediction In Orthodontic Patients Based On CVM Method

Assessment of skeletal maturity is an important aspect in orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning, particularly for determining the optimal timing of growth modification procedures. Conventional methods such as hand–wrist radiographs and cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) assessment involve radiographic evaluation. In recent years, biochemical markers such as salivary insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) have been investigated as potential non-invasive indicators of skeletal maturation. The present study aimed to evaluate salivary insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) as a quantitative, non-invasive biomarker, along with chronological age, as parameters for predicting skeletal maturity using the cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) method. The study included 60 subjects aged between 6 and 20 years who reported to the Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics for orthodontic treatment. Lateral cephalograms were obtained and skeletal maturity was assessed using Baccetti’s six-stage cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) method. Based on CVM stages, subjects were categorized into pre-pubertal (CS1 and CS2), pubertal (CS3 and CS4), and post-pubertal (CS5 and CS6) growth phases. Saliva samples were collected from all participants and salivary IGF-1 levels were measured using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Statistical analysis was performed using appropriate tests including Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and correlation analysis. Salivary IGF-1 levels showed a significant variation across different CVM stages, with the highest levels observed during the pubertal growth phase. A positive correlation was observed between salivary IGF-1 levels and cervical vertebral maturation stages, indicating that IGF-1 levels increase during the pubertal growth spurt. Salivary IGF-1 demonstrated a significant association with cervical vertebral maturation stages and may serve as a reliable non-invasive biomarker for assessing skeletal maturity. The use of salivary IGF-1 could complement conventional radiographic methods in identifying the optimal timing for orthodontic growth-modification treatment.