A new index for evaluating horizontal skeletal discrepancies and predicting treatment outcomes

The cephalometric measurement known as Wits appraisal (AOBO) was studied to determine its importance in diagnosis, treatment, and prediction of treatment success. The Wits appraisal is used primarily to identify unreliable ANB values (those that do not accurately reflect the degree of horizontal jaw discrepancy, ie, those that differ greatly from the AOBO value). Therefore, differences between AOBO and ANB also were evaluated. Because neither measurement alone can assess jaw discrepancies with total accuracy, they were combined, plotted on a scattergram, and divided into equal zones to create a new index of horizontal skeletal discrepancies and treatment predictability. Pretreatment values correspond to treatment difficulty, and posttreatment values correspond to the effectiveness of treatment. Treatment time for each zone also was evaluated. We were able to draw several conclusions from this study. First, combining AOBO and ANB values results in a more accurate measurement of treatment difficulty. These combined values also can be used to predict both treatment time and the success of treatment for horizontal discrepancies. Second, the AOBO value predicts variations in treatment time at each ANB value. Finally, adding ANB and AOBO values and then dividing the total yields zones that represent statistically significant differences in treatment times and percentages of success. The zones also correlate with the difference between AOBO and ANB measurements.