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Updated: Nov 1, 2025
Author Spotlight: 3D Movement Assessment of Maxillary Posterior Teeth in Clear Aligner Treatment
Published on: February 23, 2024
Three-dimensional comparative evaluation of customized bone-anchored vs tooth-borne maxillary protraction in patients
Shuran Liang1, Fan Wang1, Qiao Chang1
1Department of Orthodontics, School of Stomatology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Introduction:
The aim of this prospective study was to assess the 3-dimensional skeletal and dental effects induced by a new maxillary protraction approach using customized miniplates for anchorage compared with a control group of traditional tooth-borne maxillary protraction.
Methods:
Forty-one growing patients at prepubescent stage with skeletal Class III malocclusion participated in this study. These patients were randomly split into 2 groups. In group 1 (n = 20), patients underwent maxillary protraction anchored with customized miniplates. The miniplates were individually designed and inserted using the surgical templates. In group 2 (n = 21), patients underwent tooth-borne maxillary protraction. Pretreatment and posttreatment cone-beam computed tomography scans were obtained, and 30 measurements of cone-beam computed tomography images were acquired and calculated. The changes after treatment and the comparison of the 2 groups were assessed.
Results:
After maxillary protraction, group 1 showed a greater forward movement of the maxilla than group 2. The maxilla length increased more in group 1 than in group 2. The rotations of the palatal and mandibular planes in group 1 were less than those in group 2. In group 1, the maxillary incisors proclined less, the mandibular incisors retroclined less, and the maxillary first molars extruded less.
Conclusions:
Compared with tooth-borne maxillary protraction, customized miniplates anchored maxillary protraction produced more maxillary growth, fewer dental changes, and less maxillary and mandibular plane rotation.
