The impact of spur therapy in dentoalveolar open bite.

Aim: A longitudinal casecontrol study, designed to analyse the isolated effect of attached palatal spurs in patients displaying a dentoalveolar anterior open bite, is presented.

Methods: Thirty-one patients (mean age of 13.3 years +/- 3.17 years) underwent a standardised treatment protocol with fixed anterior spurs for 8.3 months. Lateral cephalograms and plaster casts were analysed before (T1) and after spur therapy (T2). The data were tested using paired t-tests with a significance level of p < 0.05.

Results: The cephalometric analysis showed significant elongation of the height of the maxillary (mean +1.22 mm) and the mandibular (mean +1.39 mm) alveolar processes, as well as uprighting of the lower anterior teeth. The plaster cast analysis showed an increase in maxillary intermolar width (mean +0.98 mm) and a decrease in intercanine distance (mean -0.96 mm). The mandibular anterior width and dental arch length reduced. Overall, spur therapy resulted in a significant increase in overjet and overbite.

Conclusion: The use of spurs produced a resolution of the open bite in all patients. Therefore, spurs could be considered an effective mechanism for the management of anterior open bite in selected adolescent patients.