Assessment of Soft Tissue, Airway Dimension and Hyoid Bone Position in Class II Patients Treated by PowerScope Class...

This study aims to assess the changes in the soft tissue, pharyngeal airway dimensions, and hyoid bone position in patients treated with PowerScope Class 2 corrector to correct the skeletal Class II pattern.

This study was conducted on a sample of 20 cases diagnosed with Class II malocclusion. The lateral cephalograms were taken before (T1) and after functional appliance therapy (T2) and were traced. The outcomes were compared for the mean changes in soft tissue, airway way dimension, and hyoid bone position. The paired t-test was used for the data comparisons wherein p < 0.05 was kept for statistical significance.

The mean values before and after treatment for H angle, mentolabial angle, lower lip E-line, upper lip S-line, lower lip S-line, and lip strain were 19.88 ± 2.77 vs 17.13 ± 1.659, 94.09 ± 12.164 vs 101.75 ± 11.28, -2.47 ± 1.213 vs -1.38 ± 0.976, 3.99 ± 0.19 vs 2.64 ± 0.32, 9.01 ± 0.247 vs 9.43 ± 0.238, 10.24 ± 0.510 vs 10.64 ± 0.52, respectively, which were statistically significant (p < 0.05). All airway spaces (except for lower pharyngeal space) and hyoid bone parameters were significantly improved posttreatment.

The facial convexity, upper E-line, Z-angle, nasolabial angle, and lower pharyngeal space did not show statistically significant changes. The rest of the soft tissue parameters, oropharyngeal air spaces, and hyoid positioning measured in the study showed significant improvement after treatment with the PowerScope appliance in Class II patients.

Class II malocclusion is the most common dental anomaly with a high degree of prevalence in the population. This study will help the clinician in understanding the improvement of soft tissue, airway dimension, and hyoid bone position changes on treatment with a fixed functional appliance for the correction of Class II cases, thereby ensuring the greater success of orthodontic therapy in the future.