RESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of birth weight on tooth development in children aged 7-8 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study comprised 75 children born at Bint Al-Huda Hospital, Bojnurd, in 2013-2014. The children were categorized into three groups based on their birth weight: Normal Birth Weight (NBW), Low Birth Weight (LBW), and Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW). Panoramic radiographs were taken for orthodontic examination, and Demirjian's 8-teeth method was employed to determine dental age. The study compared dental and chronological age within each group. Data analysis utilized SPSS software version 26, employing One-way ANOVA and chi-square tests. Statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: The mean difference in dental and chronological age for Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) children was 0.22 ± 0.44 years, for Low Birth Weight (LBW) children it was 0.19 ± 0.45 years, and for Normal Birth Weight (NBW) children, it was 0.08 ± 0.46 years. Although the mean difference decreased with increasing birth weight, this trend did not achieve statistical significance (P = 0.55). Furthermore, no significant differences were observed between the weight groups (P = 0.529) or genders (P = 0.191).