The effect of mentoplate application on the condyle

Area of Science:

• Orthodontics
• Craniofacial Biology
• Biomedical Imaging

Background:

• Skeletal class III malocclusion requires effective treatment strategies.
• Mentoplate rapid maxillary expansion (MP-RME) is used for skeletal class III correction.
• Fractal analysis (FA) can assess bone trabecular structure changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate mandibular condyle trabecular structure changes after MP-RME treatment in skeletal class III patients using FA.
• To investigate potential gender differences in condylar response to MP-RME.

Main Methods:

• 30 skeletal class III patients (8-11 years) underwent MP-RME treatment.
• Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans were taken before (T0) and after (T1) treatment.
• FA was applied to analyze trabecular bone in mandibular condyles using Image J software.

Main Results:

• No significant changes in condylar trabecular structure (FA values) were found between T0 and T1.
• Males exhibited significantly higher FA values in the left condyle compared to females at both T0 and T1.
• Male left condyle FA increased post-treatment, while female FA remained stable.

Conclusions:

• MP-RME therapy appears safe for mandibular condyle structural integrity.
• Observed gender differences in FA values suggest distinct condylar responses.
• Further research is needed to explore the clinical implications of these gender-specific findings.