INFLUENCE OF GROWTH IN TREATED CLASS III GROWING PATIENTS WITH FACE MASK THERAPY AND UNTREATED PATIENTS

Abstract

Developing Class III Malocclusion in most of the cases affects dentofacial appearance. The goal of this study is to investigate the changes in the facial appearances in treated patients withFace mask orthopedic treatment and untreated Class III patients. The sample consisted 49 patients (boys and girls),with average age of 9 years, who had a Class III Malocclusion with an anterior crossbite and a component of maxillary deficiency. 28 of them were treated with protraction Face mask- Delair mask (petit tipe), and the other 21 were presenting the control group consisted of untreated Class III Patients.In treated group pretreatment and posttreatment cephalometric radiographs from 28 patients(15 males and 13 females) were analyzed and compared with the results of cephalometric analyzes in untreated group(observation period of 1 year). Results from these study showed forward displacement of maxilla(SNA p<0.05),increasing of maxillary length(Co-A p<0.05)correction of maxillary-mandibular relationship(ANB p<0.05) in treated group while in untreated groupvalues for the parameters in the upper jaw and inter jaw relationship before and after the observation period of 1 yearshowed no statistically significant changes pointing to the negative impact of incorrect skeletal terms in Class III growing patients.Based on our findings we can concluded that in Class III patients there is a big motivation for orthodontic treatment because their dentofacial appearance deviates from sociocultural norms.Therefore, an important objective of accepting maxillary protraction treatment in Class III malocclusion is providing nonsurgical alternative in the treatment and improving the physico-social wellbeing and appearance of the patients, especially during their teenage years.