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The effects of fixed and removable face masks on maxillary deficiencies in growing patients
Abdolreza Jamilian1, Rahman Showkatbakhsh, Tannaz Taban
1Department of Orthodontics, Dental Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. info@jamilian.net
Aim:
To compare the effects of two different types of face masks in the treatment of Class III malocclusions with maxillary deficiency in growing patients.
Methods:
Forty-three patients (21 boys and 22 girls) with maxillary deficiencies were selected. Twenty-one patients (10 boys and 11 girls) with a mean age of 8.9 ± 1.4 years were treated with maxillary removable appliances and face masks. Twenty-two patients (10 boys and 12 girls) with a mean age of 9.3 ± 1.2 years were treated with maxillary fixed appliances and face masks. Lateral cephalograms obtained at the beginning and end of the study were analyzed.
Results:
Paired t tests and Wilcoxon tests showed that SNA and ANB significantly increased in both groups. The Mann-Whitney test showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups except for U1-SN, which increased by 6.2 ± 7.1 degrees in the removable face mask group and 11.1 ± 6.9 degrees in the fixed face mask group (P < .02).
Conclusion:
Both treatment modalities were successful in moving the maxilla forward. However, the maxillary incisors had more labial inclination in the fixed appliance group.
