Changes in occlusal function after surgical and nonsurgical treatment of anterior crossbite: A 2-year follow-up.

Introduction: Anterior crossbite (ACB) leads to functional impairments, such as reduced masticatory efficiency because of improper occlusion of the anterior teeth. This study evaluated how treatment of ACB affected the occlusal force (OF) and occlusal contact area (OCA), focusing on anterior, posterior, and total teeth.

Methods: This retrospective study included 122 female patients aged 18-40 years, divided into 3 groups: camouflage (n = 32), surgery (n = 34), and control (n = 56). The OF and OCA were measured using the Dental Prescale System before treatment, immediately after treatment, and 2 years after treatment. Lateral cephalograms were obtained simultaneously to evaluate skeletal and dental changes.

Results: The patients with ACB, including camouflage and surgery groups, showed lower anterior OF and OCA than the control group at T0 (P <0.01). However, after treatment, the 3 groups showed no significant differences. The surgery group showed lower total OCA than the control group before treatment and 2 years after treatment (P <0.05). Before treatment, the camouflage and surgery groups showed lower anterior/total ratios of the OF and OCA than the control group (P <0.001), but the ratios improved after treatment.

Conclusions: Patients with ACB had lower anterior OF and OCA, but these increased after nonsurgical orthodontic camouflage treatment. In contrast, patients with severe skeletal Class III malocclusion and ACB had lower posterior OCA and total OCA, which increased as much as those in the nonsurgical patients after orthognathic surgery. Through these treatments, patients can obtain a more balanced occlusion between the anterior and posterior teeth.