Anterior open bite treatment with magnets

Area of Science:

• Orthodontics
• Dental Biomaterials

Background:

• Anterior open bite is a complex malocclusion affecting dental and skeletal relationships.
• Traditional treatments include bite-blocks, but novel approaches like magnetic forces are being explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of repelling magnets versus acrylic bite-blocks in treating skeletal anterior open bite.
• To evaluate dental and skeletal changes, and the incidence of craniomandibular disorders.

Main Methods:

• Twenty patients (9-16 years) with skeletal anterior open bite were randomized into two groups.
• One group used posterior repelling magnet splints; the other used identical thickness acrylic posterior bite-blocks.
• Treatment duration was 6 months with a minimum of 18 hours/day usage. Data collected via dental casts, photos, and cephalograms.

Main Results:

• Repelling magnets rapidly improved vertical relationships, closing open bites in under 4 months, particularly in early mixed dentition.
• Magnet therapy sometimes induced labial spacing reduction or slight crowding, and transverse problems (cross-bite, scissor-bite) in intensive users with early mixed dentition.
• Acrylic bite-blocks also improved vertical relationships initially, followed by a plateau, with no reported transverse issues.

Conclusions:

• Repelling magnets offer a rapid treatment for anterior open bite, especially in younger patients.
• Close monitoring for transverse dental anomalies is crucial with intensive magnet therapy in early mixed dentition.
• Acrylic bite-blocks provide a stable, albeit slower, improvement in vertical relationships without inducing transverse problems.