Prospective cephalometric study of the effects of maxillary protraction therapy associated with intermaxillary mechanics

Juliana de Oliveira da Luz FONTES, Guilherme THIESEN

Objective: The early diagnosis and treatment of skeletal Class III (Pattern III) is still a much debated topic in orthodontic literature. Maxillary protraction associated with rapid maxillary expansion is the most popular and widely researched approach, producing the best results in the shortest period of time. This study aimed to evaluate the gradual changes that occur in the dentofacial complex in children with Pattern III growth treated with maxillary protraction associated with intermaxillary mechanics. Methods: The sample consisted of 10 patients with Pattern III, whose mean age was 8 years and 2 months at the beginning of treatment, consecutively treated with a modified Haas expander, modified lingual arch, intermaxillary elastics and Petit facemask for maxillary protraction during a 9-month period. Four lateral cephalograms were taken of each patient, one at the beginning of treatment and the other three at regular 3-month intervals (T1, T2, T3 and T4). Cephalometric measurements at each of the four times were compared using ANOVA variance for repeated measures and supplemented by Tukey?s multiple comparisons test. Results: It was observed that the most significant skeletal changes occurred in the first 3 months of treatment. After that period the changes remained constant until the end of treatment. There were few dental compensations and the vertical changes which occurred showed reduced clinical significance. Conclusions: The therapy used in this study accomplished not only the correction of overjet but also improvements in the sagittal relationship of the basal bones and in soft tissue esthetics.

Keywords: Prognathism. Palatal expansion technique. Extraoral traction appliances. Malocclusion.

How to cite: Fontes JOL, Thiesen G. Estudo cefalométrico prospectivo dos efeitos da terapia de tração reversa da maxila associada à mecânica intermaxilar. Dental Press J Orthod. 2011 Nov-Dec;16(6):38-40.

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