The relationship between menarche and the ossification stages of the phalanx of the first and third finger

Among many maturation indicators of growing patients, menarche and skeletal maturity are useful to assess growth and development, and the changes of the first and third finger are relatively important in hand-wrist X-rays. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between menarche and the changes of the phalanx of the first and third finger and compare skeletal maturation among different malocclusion types. The sample used in this study was 29 Class 1,27 Class II and 27 Class III females whose hand-wrist X-rays had been taken with 6 month interval before the appearance of ulnar sesamoid ossification till the phalanges of the fingers were almost fused. The results were as follows. 1. There was no skeletal maturity difference among malocclusion types. 2. There was no difference in the mean chronologic age of menarche among different malocclusion types and that was $12.30\pm0.98$ years. 3. The ulnar sesamoid was observed at $10.35\pm1.01$ years, and on distal phalanx of the first finger, epiphyseal capping appeared at $11.26\pm1.04$ years and fusion at $13.12\pm1.06$ years. The epiphyseal capping on middle phalanx of the third finger was observed at $11.57\pm1.02$ years and fusion at $13.72\pm1.04$ years. 4. The timing of menarche occurred around the same time as the fusion process of distal phalanx of the first finger(p<0.001, r=0.82) and the initiation of fusion of middle phalanx of the third finger(p