Comparison of body height and mandibular length between Caucasian and Japanese children.

This study compared pubertal growth of Japanese males and females with that of Caucasian children matched by age and gender. Total body height and mandibular length were compared between the two groups. Total body height showed that Caucasian males were taller than Japanese males from the ages of 10 to 15 years (p< 0.01-0.05). The annual maximum growth of Caucasian females peaked at the age of twelve, but Japanese females had a "spurtless" growth pattern, peaking one year earlier than Caucasian females. Total mandibular length, calculated at the age of 10, was about 3 mm greater in Japanese males and 5 mm greater in Japanese females than in Caucasians. At the age 15, the mandibles of Japanese males and females were about 7 mm and 9 mm longer than those of Caucasians, respectively. Adolescent mandibular growth spurt occurred, on the average, at the age of 13 in both Caucasian and Japanese males. Both female groups showed mandibular growth peaks at the age of 12.