An evaluation of growth and stability in untreated and treated subjects

This retrospective longitudinal study compared skeletal and dental changes in orthodontically treated patients with changes in a comparable untreated group to evaluate the relationship between skeletal changes and mandibular incisor crowding. Cephalograms and models of 44 untreated subjects from the Broadbent-Bolton Growth Study and 43 treated patients were evaluated at "posttreatment" (14.3 +/- 1.5 and 15.2 +/- 1.1 years, respectively) and at "postretention" (23.2 +/- 3.4 and 28.9 +/- 3.6 years, respectively). Cranial base and mandibular superimpositions were used to measure cephalometric changes. Tooth-size-arch-length discrepancy, contact irregularity, and space irregularity were measured. In both groups, growth in the vertical dimension was twice that in the horizontal dimension. The untreated subjects, who were younger, exhibited greater yearly vertical growth increments than did the treated subjects. The treated subjects exhibited greater overjet and overbite increases than did the untreated subjects. Yearly changes in tooth-size-arch-length discrepancy were greater in the untreated than in the treated subjects, but there were no differences in the changes in irregularity between the 2 groups. A multivariate regression model, relating posterior facial height (Ar-Go) increase and lower incisor eruption to change in space irregularity, explained 42% of the variation in the untreated group (r = 0.64; P <.001). A weaker relationship was found in the treated group. Overjet change was negatively correlated with tooth-size-arch-length discrepancy. Changes in lower incisor crowding were related to growth in the vertical dimension and lower incisor eruption in both untreated (r = 0.64) and treated (r = 0.51) subjects.