Determination of Neonatal Maturation on the Chest Radiograph

Tooth mineralization was evaluated on chest and skull radiographs of 51 Caucasian neonates of known gestational age. No second deciduous molar appeared radiographically before thirty-six to thirty-seven weeks of age and no first deciduous molar before thirty-three to thirty-four weeks of gestation. Tooth age correlated better with gestational age than knee ossification in neonates with a history of intrauterine disorders. Retardation of epiphyseal ossification as compared with tooth development in the neonate suggests an abnormality in intrauterine development.