Axiographic findings in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment with and without premolar extractions

Mechanical axiography was performed on 49 (37 female, 12 male) patients prior to orthodontic treatment, after removal of the fixed appliance, and at the end of retention. Twenty-five subjects (mean age 12.8 years) underwent orthodontic treatment without premolar extractions (group 1) and 24 subjects (mean age 13.5 years) with premolar extractions (group 2). The axiographic tracings of the protrusive movements were analysed using a digitizer and specially designed software. A statistically significant increase (P < 0.05) in the values for horizontal condylar inclination (HCI) was found for both groups over the entire observation period. Group 1 showed a higher increase (P < 0.05) between the beginning of treatment and removal of the brackets, and group 2 between bracket removal and the end of retention. At the end of retention, a similar increase in HCI values was found for both groups. Over the observation period, the frequency of pathological axiographic findings decreased, which seems to be a positive effect of orthodontic treatment.