Treatment planning in Class III malocclusion

In Class III malocclusion, the overjet is reduced and may be reversed, with one or more incisor teeth in lingual crossbite. In the early mixed dentition, and in older patients with mild skeletal discrepancies, orthodontic treatment usually involves proclining the maxilliary anterior teeth into positive overjet. When the permanent dentition has established, orthodontic therapy is usually aimed at compensating for the underlying mild-moderate Class III skeletal discrepancy by proclining and retroclining the maxillary and mandibular incisors, respectively. In contrast, adolescent and non-growing patients with severe Class III skeletal discrepancies require a combination of orthodontic treatment and orthognathic surgery to correct the underlying skeletal pattern. Adolescent patients with moderately severe skeletal discrepancies require careful treatment planning because they are often at the limits of orthodontic compensation, and further mandibular growth may prevent a stable Class I occlusion from being maintained with growth. In this situation, treatment should be limited to aligning the maxillary arch, accepting that orthognathic surgery will be required to correct the underlying Class III skeletal discrepancy when skeletal growth has been completed. This article will inform dental professionals about the aetiology, assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients with Class III malocclusions. Specifically, the types of orthodontic treatment that can be completed at the various stages of dental development and skeletal growth will be discussed.