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Effects of a three-dimensional bimetric maxillary distalizing arch.

This study aimed to investigate the dental effects of a three-dimensional (3D) bimetric maxillary distalizing arch. The Wilson rapid molar distalization appliance for Class II molar correction was used in 14 patients (10 girls and four boys with a mean age of 12.18 years). The open coil springs were activated with bent Omega stops and Class II intermaxillary elastics. The mandibular anchorage was gained by a 0.016 x 0.016 utility arch with a 3D lingual arch or a lip bumper with a standard lingual arch. The lateral cephalograms taken before and after treatment formed the material of the research. A Wilcoxon test was used to statistically evaluate the treatment effects. The results showed that the distal tipping of the maxillary first and second molars, and first and second premolars and canines were statistically significant. Significant distal movement occurred in all posterior and canine teeth. The maxillary first molar distalization was found to be 3.5 mm. The maxillary incisor showed significant proclination and protrusion. The decrease in overbite was found to be statistically significant. The mandibular plane angle significantly increased by a mean of 0.5 mm. In addition, significant soft tissue changes were observed.

Bicuspid↗

A radiographic comparison of apical root resorption after orthodontic treatment with a standard edgewise and a straight-wire edgewise technique.

The purpose of this study was to compare the severity of apical root resorption occurring in patients treated with a standard edgewise and a straight-wire edgewise technique, and to assess the influence of known risk factors on root resorption incident to orthodontic treatment. The sample consisted of 80 patients with Angle Class II division 1 malocclusions, treated with extraction of at least two maxillary first premolars. Variables recorded for each patient included gender, age, ANB angle, overjet, overbite, trauma, habits, invagination, agenesis, tooth shedding, treatment duration, use of Class II elastics, body-build, general factors, impacted canines, and root form deviation. Forty patients were treated with a standard edgewise and 40 with a straight-wire edgewise technique, both with 0.018-inch slot brackets. Crown and root lengths of the maxillary incisors were measured on pre- and post-treatment periapical radiographs corrected for image distortion. Percentage of root shortening and root length loss in millimetres were then calculated. There was significantly more apical root resorption (P < 0.05) of both central incisors in the standard than in the straight-wire edgewise group. No significant difference was found for the lateral incisors. Root shortening of the lateral incisors was significantly associated with age, agenesis, duration of contraction period (distalization of incisors), and invagination, while root shortening of the central incisors was related to treatment group and trauma.

Adolescent↗

Open bite: stability after bimaxillary surgery--2-year treatment outcomes in 58 patients.

Stability after bimaxillary surgery to correct open bite malocclusion and mandibular retrognathism was evaluated on lateral cephalograms before surgery, 8 weeks post-operatively, and after 2 years. The 58 consecutive patients were treated to a normal occlusion and good facial aesthetics. Treatment included the orthodontic alignment of teeth by maxillary and mandibular fixed appliances, Le Fort I osteotomy, and bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy. Twenty-six patients also had a genioplasty. Intra-osseous wires or bicortical screws were used for fixation. Twenty-three patients had maxillo-mandibular fixation (MMF) for 8 weeks or more, six for 4-7 weeks, 14 for 1-3 weeks, and 15 had no fixation. At follow-up 2 years later, the maxilla remained unchanged and the mandible had rotated on average 1.4 degrees posteriorly. Seventeen patients had an open bite. Among them, eight patients had undergone segmental osteotomies. The relapse was mainly due to incisor proclination. The most stabile overbite was found in the group with no MMF after surgery.

Adolescent↗

Orthodontic side-effects of mandibular advancement devices during treatment of snoring and sleep apnoea.

The aims of this study were to investigate possible orthodontic side-effects following the use of mandibular advancement devices (MAD) in adults with snoring and sleep apnoea. A second objective was to analyse the effect of the appliance design. Seventy-five patients treated with MAD and 17 reference patients were studied at follow-up after 2.5 +/- 0.5 years. In the test group, 47 patients were provided with soft elastomeric devices, while the remaining 28 patients received hard acrylic devices. The treatment induced a change in overjet of -0.4 +/- 0.8 mm (mean +/- SD) and a change in overbite of -0.4 +/- 0.7 mm (mean +/- SD). These changes were larger than those found in the reference group (P < 0.01). The odds ratio (OR) for the largest quartile of reduction in overjet was 3.8 in patients using hard acrylic devices compared with those using soft elastomeric devices (P < 0.05). A large reduction in overjet in patients using the hard acrylic devices was unrelated to the degree of mandibular protrusion by the device. The OR for a large reduction in overjet in patients using the soft elastomeric devices with a protrusion of 6 mm or above was 6.8 compared with smaller mandibular protrusions (P < 0.05). The results indicate that the orthodontic side-effects are small during the treatment of adult subjects with MAD for snoring and sleep apnoea, especially in patients using soft elastomeric devices with mandibular protrusions of less than 6 mm. The follow-up of patients treated with MAD is recommended, as individual patients may experience marked orthodontic side-effects.

Acrylic Resins↗

Prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment need in children and adolescents in Bogota, Colombia. An epidemiological study related to different stages of dental development.

The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of malocclusion in a population of Bogotanian children and adolescents in terms of different degrees of severity in relation to sex and specific stages of dental development, in order to evaluate the need for orthodontic treatment in this part of Colombia. A sample of 4724 children (5-17 years of age) was randomly selected from a population that attended the Dental Health Service; none had been orthodontically treated. Based on their dental stages the subjects were grouped into deciduous, early mixed, late mixed and permanent dentition. The registrations were performed according to a method by Björk et al. (1964). The need for orthodontic treatment was evaluated according to an index used by the Swedish National Board of Health. The results showed that 88 per cent of the subjects had some type of anomaly, from mild to severe, half of them recorded as occlusal anomalies, one-third as space discrepancies, and one-fifth as dental anomalies. No clear sex differences were noted, except for maxillary overjet, spacing, tooth size (all more frequent in boys), and crowding (more frequent in girls). Occlusal anomalies and space discrepancies varied in the different dental developmental periods, as did tipped and rotated teeth. Little need for orthodontic treatment was found in 35 per cent and moderate need in 30 per cent. A great need was estimated in 20 per cent, comprising children with prenormal occlusion, maxillary overjet, or overbite (> 6 mm), posterior unilateral crossbite with midline deviation (> 2 mm), severe crowding or spacing, congenitally missing maxillary incisors, impacted maxillary canines or anterior open bite (> 3 mm in the permanent dentition). Urgent need for treatment was estimated to be 3 per cent, comprising subjects with extreme post- and pre-normal occlusion, impacted maxillary incisors or extensive aplasia.

Adolescent↗

Maxillary unilateral molar distalization with sliding mechanics: a preliminary investigation.

Fifteen patients, eight males and seven females with a mean age of 13.32 years, were selected for unilateral molar distalization. Dentally, all presented with a unilateral Class II molar relationship. The subjects were all in the permanent dentition with second molars erupted and with a well aligned lower dental arch. For maxillary molar distalization a new intra-oral appliance was developed, the Keles Slider, which comprised two premolar and two molar bands. The anchorage unit was a Nance button with an anterior bite plane. From the palatal side, the point of distal force application was carried towards the level of centre of resistance of the maxillary first molar. A Ni-Ti coil spring was used and 200 g distal force was applied to the Class II first molar. Lateral cephalograms were taken and analysed before and 2 months after molar distalization. The Class II molars were distalized bodily, on average, 4.9 mm (P < 0.001). Mesial migration of the Class II first premolars was 1.3 mm (P < 0.05), incisor protrusion was 1.8 mm (P < 0.05) and incisor proclination 3.2 degrees (P < 0.05). The overbite was reduced by 3.1 mm (P < 0.001) and the overjet increased 2.1 mm (P < 0.01). For stabilization, the corrected Class II unilateral molar relationship was maintained with a Nance button for 2 months. The results show that this newly developed device achieved bodily distal molar movement with minimum anchorage loss.

Adolescent↗

Skeletal and dento-alveolar stability after surgical-orthodontic treatment of anterior open bite: a retrospective study.

The aim of this investigation was to assess skeletal and dento-alveolar stability after surgical-orthodontic correction of skeletal anterior open bite treated by maxillary intrusion (group A) versus extrusion (group B). The cephalometric records of 49 adult anterior open bite patients (group A: n = 38, group B: n = 11), treated by the same maxillofacial surgeon, were examined at different timepoints, i.e. at the start of the orthodontic treatment (T1), before surgery (T2), immediately after surgery (T3), early post-operatively (+/- 20 weeks, T4) and one year post-operatively (T5). A bimaxillary operation was performed in 31 of the patients in group A and in six in group B. Rigid internal fixation was standard. If maxillary expansion was necessary, surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion (SRPE) was performed at least 9 months before the Le Fort I osteotomy. Forty-five patients received combined surgical and orthodontic treatment. The surgical open bite reduction (A, mean 3.9 mm; B, mean 7.7 mm) and the increase of overbite (A, mean 2.4 mm; B, mean 2.7 mm), remained stable one year post-operatively. SNA (T2-T3), showed a high tendency for relapse. The clockwise rotation of the palatal plane (1.7 degrees; T2-T3), relapsed completely within the first post-operative year. Anterior facial height reduction (A, mean -5.5 mm; B, mean -0.8 mm) occurred at the time of surgery. It can be concluded that open bite patients, treated by posterior Le Fort I impaction as well as with anterior extrusion, with or without an additional bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO), one year post-surgery, exhibit relatively good clinical dental and skeletal stability.

Adolescent↗

Fuzzy modelling for selecting headgear types.

The purpose of this study was to develop a computer-assisted inference model for selecting appropriate types of headgear appliance for orthodontic patients and to investigate its clinical versatility as a decision-making aid for inexperienced clinicians. Fuzzy rule bases were created for degrees of overjet, overbite, and mandibular plane angle variables, respectively, according to subjective criteria based on the clinical experience and knowledge of the authors. The rules were then transformed into membership functions and the geometric mean aggregation was performed to develop the inference model. The resultant fuzzy logic was then tested on 85 cases in which the patients had been diagnosed as requiring headgear appliances. Eight experienced orthodontists judged each of the cases, and decided if they 'agreed', 'accepted', or 'disagreed' with the recommendations of the computer system. Intra-examiner agreements were investigated using repeated judgements of a set of 30 orthodontic cases and the kappa statistic. All of the examiners exceeded a kappa score of 0.7, allowing them to participate in the test run of the validity of the proposed inference model. The examiners' agreement with the system's recommendations was evaluated statistically. The average satisfaction rate of the examiners was 95.6 per cent and, for 83 out of the 85 cases, 97.6 per cent. The majority of the examiners (i.e. six or more out of the eight) were satisfied with the recommendations of the system. Thus, the usefulness of the proposed inference logic was confirmed.

Adolescent↗

The extraction of permanent second molars and its effect on the dentofacial complex of patients treated with the Tip-Edge appliance.

The aim of this investigation was to assess the dentofacial changes in a group of patients consecutively treated with Tip-Edge appliances and the extraction of four permanent second molars by one specialist orthodontic practitioner. Before and after treatment lateral cephalograms and study cast measurements of 45 individuals, 26 females (mean age 13.8 years) and 19 males (mean age 13.9 years), were collated and statistically analysed. Cephalometric variables that exhibited, before treatment, significant sex differences, included SNA, SNB (both smaller in males, P < 0.05) and U1-NA degrees (P < 0.05), nasolabial angle (P < 0.05), and upper lip length P < 0.01 (all larger in males). After treatment, sex differences were demonstrated for SNA (smaller in males, P < 0.05), mandibular length (P < 0.01), upper face height (P < 0.05), lower face height (P < 0.01), anterior face height (P < 0.001), posterior face height (P < 0.01), nasolabial angle (P < 0.05), and upper lip length and thickness (P < 0.001; all larger in males). For the cast analysis, before treatment differences indicated larger values for males than females for lower arch inter-canine, premolar, and molar widths, arch depth (all P < 0.05), tooth size, and arch length (P < 0.01). Similar findings were noted in the upper arch except for inter-canine and premolar arch width. Despite most arch variables displaying sex differences, no gender effect was found for irregularity or crowding parameters. The same variables exhibited significant sex differences and changes after treatment (except tooth size, lower arch depth, and upper arch inter-canine width). Overall, the pattern of correction exhibited by the subjects included dental, skeletal, and soft tissue changes. Males tended to have greater mean increases in mandibular skeletal and soft tissue variables compared with females. Both males and females had increases in most dental arch variables measured from the study casts. Both sexes demonstrated a small uprighting, but statistically non-significant distalizing of the buccal segments. The lower incisors in the sagittal plane revealed a mean tendency to remain in their pre-treatment positions, with some individual variation. Overall, the treatment results were considered favourable, but case selection appeared to bias towards Angle Class I skeletal patterns of average to slightly reduced facial height, overbite and overjet < or = 4 mm, lip competence, no incisor protrusion, and moderate tooth size to arch length discrepancy (3-3.5 mm lower arch, 1 mm upper arch). Further evaluation of third molar eruption responses may provide insight into appropriate timing of second molar extractions.

Adolescent↗

Class II treatment effects of the Fränkel appliance.

The objective of this work was to evaluate prospectively and cephalometrically the effects of the function regulator (FR) on dentoskeletal components during a treatment period of 28 months. The subjects consisted of 18 patients presenting with a Class II division 1 malocclusion, with a mean chronological age of 9 years 3 months at the beginning of treatment. The treated group was compared with a compatible control group of 23 untreated subjects observed during the same time period. Lateral cephalometric head films were obtained for the treated group at the beginning and after 28 months of treatment. The subjects in the control group belonged to a serial growth study sample from the Orthodontic Department at Bauru Dental School, University of São Paulo, for whom cephalometric head films were obtained annually from 4 to 18 years of age. The data for the control group were calculated from these head films. A student's t-test was used to compare the changes observed in the treated group with those in the control group. Differences were considered statistically significant at P < 0.05. The results demonstrated that the FR produced a statistically significant increase in the mandibular body, in the proportional size of the mandible to the maxilla and in lower anterior face height (LAFH); induced greater vertical development of the mandibular molars; reduced the overjet and overbite and produced an improvement in the molar relationship. Retrusion and palatal tipping of the maxillary incisors was also observed. However, the appliance did not produce any changes in maxillary development, in the growth pattern, or any improvement in the basal relationship. Therefore it was concluded that the effects of the FR in the correction of Class II malocclusions are primarily dento-alveolar, with a smaller participation of skeletal changes.

Adolescent↗

Condylar pathway changes following different treatment modalities.

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of extraction and non-extraction approaches on the condylar pathways in subjects treated with fixed orthodontic appliances. The study was carried out on 70 patients (47 female, 23 male) who had undergone orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances. The mean age for the total group was 16.3 years (16.5 years for the females and 16 years for the males). Forty-seven patients were treated non-extraction and 23 with extractions. None of the patients had any temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems before orthodontic treatment and all were treated with standard edgewise mechanics. The condylar pathway recordings were taken before and after treatment with an axiograph. The maximum opening capacity was measured and the right and left condylar pathways of each patient were recorded in protrusion and during opening movements. During treatment the left opening angle (LOA) only decreased significantly in the upper premolar extraction group. The left opening distance (LOD) decreased in all groups during treatment but was only statistically significant in the non-extraction and upper and lower extraction groups. In the small overjet group (OJ < or = 4 mm), the LOA, right opening distance (ROD) and LOD decreased significantly while there was no significant change in axiographic parameters in the large overjet group (OJ > 4 mm). In the latter group, overjet and overbite decreased while mouth opening (3 mm P < 0.05) significantly increased. These results indicate that there is no difference between the effect of different treatment protocols on the condylar pathways.

Adolescent↗

Comparison of intra-oral and study cast measurements in the assessment of malocclusion.

Malocclusion assessment methods are based on registrations and measurements made on study casts, which requires that impressions be taken. In addition to being costly and time-consuming, this process can be unpleasant for very young children. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of intra-oral measurements that compute a malocclusion index score to determine malocclusion severity in the mixed dentition. The research was part of a longitudinal study in Slovenia on a sample of 530 3-year-old children. At 8 years of age (mean 8.5 years, standard deviation 0.2), a cohort of 101 children (44 boys, 57 girls) was randomly selected in a cross-sectional study. Quantitative registrations of space and occlusal anomalies were performed intra-orally as well as on study casts. Kappa (kappa) statistics were used to evaluate the agreement between clinical and study cast malocclusion assessments. Systematic bias of measurements was tested using Wilcoxon's signed rank test. The results showed complete agreement between the two measurements for anterior crossbite, anterior open bite and overjet scores (kappa = 1); excellent reliability for the buccal segment relationship (kappa = 0.93), transverse occlusion of posterior teeth (kappa = 0.87); and substantial agreement for overbite (kappa = 0.79) and midline deviation (kappa = 0.71). For the remainder of the traits the agreement was moderate: rotation of incisors (kappa = 0.58), crowding of upper incisors (kappa = 0.51), axial inclination of teeth (kappa = 0.44) and lower incisor crowding (kappa = 0.41). Intra-orally small, but statistically significant scoring of lower incisor rotation and crowding was identified. On the study casts the most favourable axial inclination was found for buccal segment occlusion. Overall classification into severity grades, based on the total malocclusion score, showed excellent agreement between the two methods (kappa = 0.89), without statistically significant bias. Malocclusion assessment, recorded and measured intra-orally, is as reliable as assessment on study casts. The proposed method can be used in screening, in epidemiological studies and in clinical orthodontic assessment.

Child↗

Dentoskeletal effects and facial profile changes during activator therapy.

The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate cephalometrically the skeletal, dental, and soft tissue modifications induced by activator treatment in patients with Class II malocclusions caused by mandibular retrognathism. The subjects, all in the mixed dentition, were selected from a single centre and were divided into two groups: 40 patients treated with an incisor double capping activator (20 girls, 20 boys with a mean age of 10 years) and a control group of 30 subjects (15 girls, 15 boys with a mean age of 10 years). The dentoskeletal and aesthetic changes that occurred were compared on lateral cephalograms taken before treatment (T0) and after 18-24 months, when the activator was removed (T1). In the control group the radiographs were obtained before (T0) and after (T1) 21 months (standard deviation +/- 3 months). Activator treatment in these growing patients resulted in a correction of the Class II relationship (ANB -2.14 degrees), a restriction of maxillary growth (SNA -0.5 degrees), an advancement of the mandibular structures (SNB +1.64 degrees, FH--NPg +3.39 degrees; OLp-B +5.17 mm, OLp-Pg +5.14 mm, OLp-Go +2.44 mm), a correction of the overjet (-5.03 mm), an improvement in overbite (-1.17 mm) and uprighting of the maxillary incisors (1--FH -5.64 degrees). The activator appliance was effective in treating growing patients with mandibular deficiency: activator therapy corrected Class II malocclusions by a combination of skeletal and dental changes and improved the soft tissue facial profile.

Activator Appliances↗

A modified monobloc for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea in paediatric patients.

The aims of this study were to determine the differences in craniofacial morphology between children with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and control subjects, and to investigate the effects of modified monobloc (MM) appliance treatment in OSA children. The treatment group consisted of 20 OSA Caucasian subjects (10 boys and 10 girls) with ages ranging from 4 to 8 years (mean 5.91 years). The control group comprised 20 healthy Caucasian subjects without OSA (10 boys and 10 girls) with ages ranging from 5 to 7 years (mean 6 years). Polysomnography was used to establish the diagnosis of OSA and to evaluate the effects of MM treatment in the test group. Cephalometric radiographs and study models were obtained for all subjects. A number of statistically significant differences were detected in craniofacial morphology between the treatment group and controls. The treatment group demonstrated a skeletal Class II pattern (P= 0.04), with a reduced mandibular length (P= 0.03) and a corresponding increase in overbite. The hyoid bone was located superiorly in the OSA group (P = 0.04). Analysis of the dental arches demonstrated a significantly smaller distance between the first and second inter-molar primary mandibular regions (P = 0.03 and P = 0.04, respectively) in OSA patients. Repeat polysomnography, with the MM in situ, after 6 months of wear, revealed a significant reduction in the apnoea-hypopnoea index in children with OSA (P= 0.0003). The MM was found to reduce daytime sleepiness and to subjectively improve assessed sleep quality. The patients and their parents reported good compliance with MM treatment.

Cephalometry↗

Developmental changes in craniofacial morphology in subjects with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Lateral cephalometric radiographs of 35 Japanese male patients suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) were taken longitudinally from 10 to 20 years of age. Eighteen landmarks were placed and 15 angles and four linear distances calculated. Profile diagrams (profilograms) were produced to analyse changes in craniofacial morphological growth in the DMD subjects. The measurements were then compared with Japanese standards. In young patients with DMD, compared with the controls, the following were observed: a large gonial angle; clockwise rotation of the mandible; short sagittal length of the cranial base and protrusion of the upper incisors. In adult patients, the maxillary alveolus and the upper incisors were protruded, compared with the controls. Overbite in DMD subjects also showed a tendency to decrease. In the controls, mandibular growth direction tended to be straight down and forward, while in patients with DMD, the growth direction was down until approximately 16 years of age and, after that, a forward vector of growth was apparent. As a result, the tendency towards a clockwise rotation of the mandible in the adults was less than in the young patients. These findings showed that DMD significantly affects craniofacial morphology.

Adolescent↗

Herbst/multibracket appliance treatment of Class II division 1 malocclusions in early and late adulthood. a prospective cephalometric study of consecutively treated subjects.

A prospective study of 23 consecutive adult Class II division 1 malocclusion subjects (19 female and 4 male) treated with the Herbst/multibracket (MB) appliance is presented. The skeletal, dental, and facial profile changes were evaluated in addition to the mechanism of Class II correction during the Herbst phase and the settling of the occlusion during the MB phase. The mean pre-treatment age of the subjects was 21.9 years (15.7-44.4 years). Lateral head films in habitual occlusion from before treatment (T1) and after the Herbst (T2) and MB (T3) phases were analysed using standard cephalometrics and the sagittal occlusion analysis. For the standard cephalometrics, normal growth standards were utilized as control parameters. All patients were treated successfully to a Class I occlusal relationship with a normal overjet and overbite. The mandibular variables (SNB and SNPg) showed an angular increase (1.22 and 0.93 degrees, respectively) during T2-T1 followed by an angular reduction (0.40 and 0.23 degrees, respectively) during T3-T2. Compared with normal growth standards, all mandibular parameters were affected favourably by Herbst/MB treatment. Both the skeletal and soft tissue profile convexities were significantly reduced. Over the entire observation period (T3-T1), the largest amount of profile convexity reduction was seen for the soft tissue profile excluding the nose (mean 3.14 degrees). Class II correction was achieved by both skeletal and dental changes: overjet correction by 13 per cent skeletal and 87 per cent dental changes, and molar correction by 22 per cent skeletal and 78 per cent dental changes. In conclusion, on a short-term basis, the Herbst/MB appliance combination was found to be a powerful tool for non-surgical, non-extraction, treatment of Class II division I subjects in early and late adulthood.

Adolescent↗

Is mild dental invagination a risk factor for apical root resorption in orthodontic patients?

The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess if dental invagination is a risk factor for root resorption during orthodontic treatment. The sample consisted of 91 patients (32 males, 59 females) with a mean age of 13.1 years (range 9.3-32.1 years) with complete orthodontic records, including periapical radiographs of the maxillary incisors before and after treatment. Forty-nine patients had at least one maxillary incisor invaginated, whilst the remaining 42 patients were free of dental invaginations. Variables recorded for each patient included gender, age, Angle classification, extraction or non-extraction therapy, ANB angle, overjet, overbite, trauma, habits, agenesis, tooth exfoliation, treatment duration, Class II elastics, body-build, general factors, impacted canines, and root form deviation. Crown and root length of the maxillary incisors were measured on pre- and post-treatment long cone periapical radiographs corrected for image distortion. The percentage of root shortening and root length loss in millimetres was then calculated. Most of the invaginated teeth were minor type 1. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference in the severity of apical root resorption between invaginated and non-invaginated incisors in patients without dental invaginations, nor was the extent of dental invagination related to the severity of apical root resorption. However, invaginated teeth had malformed roots more often than non-invaginated teeth. Dental invagination, and particularly type 1, cannot be considered a risk factor for apical root resorption during orthodontic tooth movement.

Adolescent↗

Evaluation of maxillary protraction and fixed appliance therapy in Class III patients.

The aim of this study was to examine the dentofacial changes in Class III patients treated with fixed appliances subsequent to rapid maxillary expansion (RME) and facemask therapy. The material consisted of the cephalograms and hand-wrist films of 14 (9 girls, 5 boys) skeletal Class III and 15 (10 girls, 5 boys) untreated subjects obtained at the beginning of treatment/observation T1, immediately after orthopaedic therapy T2, and at the end of the observation period T3. The mean pre-treatment/control ages were approximately 11.5 years and the observation period was 3 years T2-T1: 1 year, T3-T2: 2 years). The cephalometric films were analysed according to the structural superimposition method of Björk. All tracings were double-digitized and the measurements were calculated by a computer program. Intragroup changes and intergroup differences were statistically analysed. Forward movement of the maxilla (P < 0.01), backward movement and rotation of the mandible, an increase in the ANB angle (P < 0.001), lower face height and overjet (P < 0.001), a decrease of overbite, and an improvement in the sagittal lip relationship (P < 0.01) presented significant intergroup differences between T2 and T1. During the second phase of treatment T3-T2, although not statistically significant, forward movement of the maxilla was less than in the control subjects. Overall changes during the observation period T3-T1 revealed that correction was mainly due to favourable changes in the mandibular and dentoalveolar components of the discrepancy, while these in maxillary position were not different from the control group. The soft tissue profile improved significantly (P < 0.001) in the treatment group. Comparison with the Class I controls at the end of the observation period confirmed that some Class III characteristics still remained in the treated patients.

Activator Appliances↗